Sheep slaughter

Snowtown slaughters goats and sheep by cutting their throat, without stunning. The animals are dragged by hand from a small pen and then held down by a worker as their throat is slit. A knife is then used to pierce a hole in their leg which a hook is inserted through to hang them on the shackle line.

According to the Australian Standard for the Hygienic Production and Transportation of Meat and Meat Products for Human Consumption (AS 4696) in the cases of ritual slaughter (kosher and halal) where an animal is 'stuck' (has their throat slit) without being rendered unconcious, "(the animal) is stunned without delay after it is stuck to ensure it is rendered unconscious."

At Snowtown, goats and sheep are observed blinking, thrashing and tossing their heads for minutes as they bleed out, even continuing to do so after being hung up on the shackle line. Behaviour such as blinking is a sign of consciousness meaning that these animals likely continued to feel pain.