A slaughterhouse closed for "cruelty" and "mistreatment" of others.

[Carolyn Bailey]

A SYDNEY abattoir has been shut down after disturbing video footage emerged of gross animal mistreatment.

The NSW Food Authority today forced the abattoir to cease all animal slaughter while a full investigation is undertaken.

Video footage showed the slaughter of sheep, cattle, goats and pigs that allegedly breached the Food Regulation 2010 act, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979.

Australian standards require that “animals are slaughtered in a way that prevents unnecessary injury, pain and suffering to them and causes them the least disturbance”.

A full investigation, involving the RSPCA is now under way.

Video footage showed slaughter of animals that allegedly breached animal cruelty acts. Picture: Supplied Source: The Australian

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/abattoir-closed-after-animal-cruelty-fears/story-e6freuzi-1226267018193?fb_ref=rec-top&fb_source=other_multiline

[Kerry Baker]

Thanks for posting Carolyn.  I do find it interesting that since the outrage that we saw in Australia following the images of the cruelty in Indonesia to Australian animals, that it seems there has been more evidence coming out in Australian slaughterhouses. 

I was concerned that a focus on Asian and Middle Eastern facilities would give the impression that it doesn't happen here, and in this respect I am encouraged to see that we are being shown up as just as guilty.  It is disgusting what happens to these animals and I do believe that it is supported through ignorance.  So I think it is necessary to expose that we are no better and is good to see the media bringing these incidents out.

The other issue that strikes me is that the workers at these facilities must be deeply psychologically damaged to do these types of things.  I suspect that any person with a shred of compassion must be affected by the slaughter, after all they look in their eyes.  The only way then that they can continue is to develop a hatred for their victims.

To my mind this has been demonstrated in history through what happened in Nazi Germany, in Argentina, in Greece and so on.  I once watched a UN documentary about how people become torturers, and they chose as their example the story of several Greek soldiers who tortured during the Greek military regime.  They chose people who were usually alone without family support and who were of very average or below intelligence.  Then they subjected these people to extreme humiliation until they broke, after which they were easily manipulated into becoming torturers themselves.

I know this is an extreme comparison, but I see analogies in what these workers are doing and really have to wonder about the road that they travel to end up working in these facilities.  For this reason I think stopping it is going to be difficult.  The meat industry is very powerful and a large slice of our GDP.  Watch Sam Neill being the spokesperson for Australian meat on our TV screens.  Perhaps a response to the actors speaking up against eating meat?

I think the best thing is to try and keep on exposing the cruelty but I wonder how much longer the media will report these before it becomes no longer news. 

[Carolyn Bailey]

Hi Kerry,

I think you make some really important points. Particularly when you mention that after the Ban Live Export campaign many people believed that eating cows who were slaughtered in Australia was doing those cows a favour, as they had been led to believe that those cows who were killed overseas, and particularly in Indonesia, were treated poorly before being slaughtered, in comparison to cows slaughtered "at home".  

What I found disturbing about this situation were the claims being made about it being an enormous "victory". I don't see that closing one slaughterhouse down is a victory for other animals, but I could certainly see it as a promising opportunity for vegan education, if the claims being made were in accordance with the fact that these same atrocities happen in every slaughterhouse in every country in the world, every single day. And not that this particular slaughterhouse was somehow outstanding.

I found it interesting to compare the claims being made, with those of a similar undercover video of a pig slaughterhouse recently released: 

http://arzone.ning.com/forum/topics/exposing-animal-use-promoting-v...

Kerry Baker said:

Thanks for posting Carolyn.  I do find it interesting that since the outrage that we saw in Australia following the images of the cruelty in Indonesia to Australian animals, that it seems there has been more evidence coming out in Australian slaughterhouses. 

I was concerned that a focus on Asian and Middle Eastern facilities would give the impression that it doesn't happen here, and in this respect I am encouraged to see that we are being shown up as just as guilty.  It is disgusting what happens to these animals and I do believe that it is supported through ignorance.  So I think it is necessary to expose that we are no better and is good to see the media bringing these incidents out.

The other issue that strikes me is that the workers at these facilities must be deeply psychologically damaged to do these types of things.  I suspect that any person with a shred of compassion must be affected by the slaughter, after all they look in their eyes.  The only way then that they can continue is to develop a hatred for their victims.

To my mind this has been demonstrated in history through what happened in Nazi Germany, in Argentina, in Greece and so on.  I once watched a UN documentary about how people become torturers, and they chose as their example the story of several Greek soldiers who tortured during the Greek military regime.  They chose people who were usually alone without family support and who were of very average or below intelligence.  Then they subjected these people to extreme humiliation until they broke, after which they were easily manipulated into becoming torturers themselves.

I know this is an extreme comparison, but I see analogies in what these workers are doing and really have to wonder about the road that they travel to end up working in these facilities.  For this reason I think stopping it is going to be difficult.  The meat industry is very powerful and a large slice of our GDP.  Watch Sam Neill being the spokesperson for Australian meat on our TV screens.  Perhaps a response to the actors speaking up against eating meat?

I think the best thing is to try and keep on exposing the cruelty but I wonder how much longer the media will report these before it becomes no longer news. 

[Kerry Baker]

Thanks Carolyn.  Yes it was interesting that the official government and departmental response was that they thought it was a 'rogue' facility.  Given that the government is doing its level best to get the Russians to buy kangaroo meat and maintain live animal exports to Asia and the Middle East, I think they are attempting to play down the actual lack of control they have on what happens to animals.  If it is happening here, and this is from memory the third shut down in the space of about 6 months that we know of, their attempts to placate the public by claiming that they will ensure 'humane slaughter' are looking increasingly flimsy.  I hope there is continued exposure about what really goes on.

[Tina Cubberley]

What seems to be needed is undercover investigations into EVRY SINGLE one of these hellholes . The problem is not that people cant see whats going on - the truth is being thrown in their faces -but that they dont want to .no matter how much proof they hav of the horrific things the animals endure ,they will always find a loophole to squirm away from reality because they dont want to admit it to themselves ,its far more comfortable to blend in ,continue ingesting corpses ,the stolen breast milk of other species etc etc etc and remain in the dark ,without responsibility ,believing that somhow ,somwhere ,there is a place where sentient beings are robbed of their freedom an their lives in an ethical manner . bizarre tho it seems , most people would hav to see footage from evry slaughter house in existanse ,and be truly left without an option,before they would change their habits .

     when animal rights activists talk about socalled "humane slaughter " ,or even condenm one of these disgusting places above another ,they betray the billions of nonhumans who die evry day for this kind of ignorance . talking lik that gives the ilusion that we can use other species ethically ,when of course in reality wherever animals are used lik possessions for any human purpose ,unaceptable rights violations will take place . if u wouldnt argue for serial killers to murder their human victims more kindly if they absolutly must kill them , why do so when the victims belong to another species ?
Roger Yates said:

They will alway try the "one bad apple" line, which is why the claims-making from animal advocates is so important and should never take that stance themselves.

Kerry Baker said:

Thanks Carolyn.  Yes it was interesting that the official government and departmental response was that they thought it was a 'rogue' facility.  Given that the government is doing its level best to get the Russians to buy kangaroo meat and maintain live animal exports to Asia and the Middle East, I think they are attempting to play down the actual lack of control they have on what happens to animals.  If it is happening here, and this is from memory the third shut down in the space of about 6 months that we know of, their attempts to placate the public by claiming that they will ensure 'humane slaughter' are looking increasingly flimsy.  I hope there is continued exposure about what really goes on.