• Australian Food Group slaughterhouse in Laverton has shut down rather than installing CCTV mandated by government regulator PrimeSafe, according to a report by ABC.
• The slaughterhouse was last month at the centre of a national exposé into the use of gas chambers in pig slaughterhouses, after animal advocate Chris Delforce spent almost 10 hours inside the chamber filming the agonising deaths of pigs inside.
• Delforce says that AFG's choice to stop operating rather than install CCTV inside their chamber is "typical" of an industry unwilling to take accountability, however it represents a "massive win for pigs."

One of Victoria's three largest pig slaughterhouses has shut its doors rather than install CCTV inside their gas chamber. Australian Food Group slaughterhouse was last month exposed by Farm Transparency Project, who released footage taken from inside their carbon dioxide gas chamber where pigs are paralysed prior to having their throats slit.

Executive director of Farm Transparency Project, Chris Delforce, spent 9 hours and 20 minutes hidden inside the gas chamber at AFG, filming as pigs screamed, gasped for air and violently thrashed after being exposed to the gas. He says that the news that AFG' gas chamber is closing is "a massive win for pigs" but that we have a long way to go before we can truly live up to our claims to be a nation of animal lovers.

"For decades now the Australian pork industry has held up gassing pigs to death as the gold standard in 'humane' pig slaughter. Despite numerous reports and investigations proving exactly the opposite, it took me hiding myself inside one of these horrific gas chambers in order to finally reveal this to a mainstream audience and start a long overdue national conversation about the way we treat farmed animals."

According to reports, upon reviewing the footage taken from inside AFG's chamber, PrimeSafe ordered the slaughterhouse to install CCTV inside the gas chamber. Rather than doing so, the abattoir opted to close down, in a move Delforce described as "disgustingly typical."

"These industries rely on secrecy in order to hide their operations from the public. The fact that this slaughterhouse has decided to shut down their operations rather than install cameras and allow for some small degree of accountability, shows exactly how cowardly they are and that they are aware that their actions would be met with public outrage if and when they are exposed."

"What we must remember is that if pigs gasping, screaming and dying in agony is best practice, every other method used to kill pigs in this country is even more horrific. Today we celebrate the news that every day, hundreds of pigs will be saved from a horrible fate at this slaughterhouse. But we know that until gas chambers are banned for good, this nightmare will continue for millions of pigs."

Farm Transparency Project also released footage from inside the two other Victorian pig slaughterhouses that use such chambers - Diamond Valley Pork, also in Laverton, and CA Sinclair Abattoir in Benalla.