VIDEO surveillance in abattoirs is a growing priority for both meat processors and animal rights organisations.
This was the message delivered by Australian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU) industrial officer Lee Norris at the RSPCA symposium.
“For any establishment that is slaughtering livestock for human consumption - it’s good practice from a quality control and hygiene point of view,” he said.
“And it’s good practice in terms of inspiring consumer confidence that animal welfare standards are being met.”
Mr Norris said installing cameras in abattoirs had gained impetus following incidents at Hawkesbury Valley Meat Processors, NSW, and at the Ingham Tahmoor processing plant, NSW.
He said as a bare minimum, cameras should be installed ante mortem and at the point of slaughter.
“We have been quite comfortable as a union with video surveillance here in Queensland where it does exist and if it inspires consumer confidence we say, ‘why not, have it everywhere’,” he said.
“Most of the processors, even the medium and small ones, have it all through ante mortem and post mortem for reasons relating to hygiene, traceability and quality control.”
Mr Norris said if cameras were installed in more facilities, it would take away the need for animal activists to enter facilities illegally.
A recent example of this is when footage was obtained after surveillance equipment was illegally planted at Young district piggeries Blantyre Farms and Lansdowne Piggery.
“If we had CCTV footage at every abattoir it would eliminate the need for any of these sneaky style raids to occur,” he said.
“Everything that had gone on would be able to be reviewed and shown and everything would be transparent.”
He also acknowledged that “you have to draw the line somewhere,” and surveillance should not be installed in all agricultural facilities.
“So far as the average farmer – I think it’s getting a bit too far when you get to those sorts of things.
“I think you can rely upon the existing regime we have in place - the RSPCA play a major role in it - if there’s something untoward happening on a farm people can notify the RSPCA and other investigative agencies and they can go and have a look.”
