Dear DAFF - Open letter regarding inadequacy and corruption of abattoir regulator

Over 2023 and 2024, Farm Transparency Project investigated and exposed 30 Australian slaughterhouses across five Australian states. At every single one, we found evidence of illegal activity and systemic animal cruelty and suffering. Despite this, the Federal Department of Agriculture has chosen to turn a blind eye to this brutal reality. Instead of punishing slaughterhouses for acts of animal cruelty, the federal animal welfare regulator, and those working on its behalf have:


Tipped off slaughterhouses about formal complaints and media interest;
provided funding to slaughterhouses charged with animal cruelty to allow them to continue their operations;
Ignored reports of illegal activity at federally regulated slaughterhouses;
Provided contradicting and misleading testimony during a trial in the federal court of Australia.
Scheduled a meeting between the Farm Transparency Project team and the animal welfare division of the department, only to cancel without explanation.

The Department of Agriculture has shown that they will stand by and do nothing while the laws they claim to uphold are broken again and again by facilities who kill animals for food. The Department of AGRICULTURE will never stand up for animals by supporting a transition to a slaughter free food system. So it’s up to us.

Sign our open letter here: www.farmtransparency.org/actions/open-letter-regarding-inadequacy-corruption-abattoir-regulator