Liberals sitting on abattoir cruelty taskforce, Greens claim

Greens spokesperson Vica Bayley said Tasmanians were "horrified" when animal rights activists released footage showing cruelty in five slaughterhouses across the state last year.

"The government acted not by immediately strengthening laws in line with what community expects and what we know needs to be done," Mr Bayley said.

"Instead they announced a task force that would report back to parliament by March 5.

"We're past the fifth of March, we're a week out from the election, and Tasmanians deserve to know what the government's going to recommend in terms of its reforms to animal cruelty laws."

He said the government's limited actions on the issue so far, which include committing to camera surveillance in abattoirs, "did not meet community expectations".

In response, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said that the report of the taskforce would be brought forward when the new parliament reconvened.

"We have already implemented 24-hour surveillance cameras in abattoirs, and the Taskforce is continuing to meet despite the fact that we're in caretaker mode and there's an election on," Mr Rockliff said.

"Animal welfare is our number one priority, Tasmanians agree with us on that, and we are committed to continuous improvement."

Mr Bayley also announced a Greens plan to strengthen laws around abattoir operations in the state.

It included toughening penalties for abattoirs and workers found to have committed animal cruelty misdemeanours, and recognising the sentience of animals in the law.