Animal rights group prepared to risk jail over secret camera footage

A group of animal rights activists are prepared to face jail time by leaking footage of alleged animal cruelty in two NSW knackeries, although the owners of one of the facilities claims the footage is not recent.

The group, called Aussie Farms, released secret camera footage from Burns Pet Food and Luddenham Pet Meats on Monday afternoon, despite that action being prohibited by the NSW Surveillance Devices Act (2007).

Three minutes of the footage was released on the group's Facebook page, with a longer version available on the group's website.

Aussie Farms' executive director Chris Delforce said that this was not why that surveillance law existed, and that it was being exploited by those trying to silence animal cruelty whistleblowers.

Mr Delforce was charged under the act in 2017, over footage from pig farms and a slaughterhouse gas chamber. The charges were dropped on a technicality.

A worker holds a gun to the head of a horse, which Aussie Farms says occurred at Luddenham Pet Meats.Credit: Aussie Farms

"We're hoping this goes somewhere - this is a good campaign to challenge that law on," he told the Herald.

"Previously when it was about pig farms, it was something that the public was less on board with - but most people don't want to see horses being shot in the head."

He described the horse as a "gateway" animal for people to understand that animals don't want to be caged and abused.

"It definitely helps to have an animal such as the horse, which most people love, to help make that connection that animals are sentient beings and are capable of feeling pain and suffering.

A horse, which animal rights group Aussie Farms says was former racehorse Rebel Prince being held at Luddenham Pet Meats before slaughter. Credit:Aussie Farms

He said that the public had come "a long way" in recent years when it came to empathising with animals, highlighting an episode of ABC's 7.30 program from last year as one catalyst for change.

The episode showed many racehorses being sent to knackeries, and cruelly treated by workers.

"Every time footage comes out in NSW, no one wants to touch it because of this law," Mr Delforce said.

"It's actively preventing the people who need to see it from seeing it and we've had enough of that.

A horse, which animal rights group Aussie Farms says was former racehorse Rebel Prince at Luddenham Pet Meats after it was slaughtered. Credit:Aussie Farms

"We know publishing this footage means we're probably going to end up in court, and maybe even face jail time, but that's a battle we're willing to fight.

"There's a vast array of options in supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, anywhere you go you can eat cruelty free."

Rebecca Pace, owner of Luddenham Pet Meats, said she believed the footage posted by Aussie Farms was more than two years old, based on the presence of certain structures on the property.

Ms Pace said no thoroughbreds had been processed at the facility since October 2019.

However, Mr Delforce said the footage was taken on three occasions between 2018 and March 2020.

He said two horses had been killed at the facility on the March 2020 date, including one thoroughbred with a brand.

A representative from Burns Pet Food was not available for comment.

Professor George Williams from the University of NSW said Aussie Farms was "basically staring down the NSW government, almost inviting a prosecution".

There were three possible outcomes, Mr Williams said.

"The government and its agencies might prosecute; they might simply ignore the conduct because they don't feel it breaches the law or because it's too difficult to prosecute or they regard it as trivial; or they might say, 'The law's in bad shape, let's change it.'"

with Mary Ward