Seven people have been arrested after animal rights activists blockaded a Victorian abattoir to protest the use of carbon dioxide to stun pigs before slaughter.
Three men and four women have been charged with trespass offences after the protesters chained themselves to machinery in the Benalla Abattoir early on Thursday morning.
No one was injured during the incident, and the seven people have been bailed to appear at the Benalla Magistrate’s court at a later date.
While the use of carbon dioxide gas to stun pigs before slaughter is legal and is common practice in Australia and Europe, the Farm Transparency Project said pigs were dying in agony every day.
“Today we are here to peacefully put our bodies in the way of these instruments of death and destruction and demand an immediate ban on the use of carbon dioxide gas chambers, at the very least until a full inquiry can take place,” animal rights campaigner Chris Delforce said in a statement.
Farm Transparency Project are calling on the Victorian government to launch an inquiry into the practice and are pushing for a total ban.
Benalla Abattoir declined to comment on the incident.
The protests comes two weeks after graphic footage of pig processing was released to the media.
Addressing reporters in Melbourne, Premier Daniel Andrews said he was not aware of any breaches of standards at Victorian meat processing facilities.
“As the son of a beef farmer, I know that you get much better outcomes … when animal welfare is front of mind, and you slaughter humanely and you treat your livestock properly,” Mr Andrews said.
“There’ll be many people who would regard slaughtering those animals or any animals as an inhumane thing, that’s not my view.
“They’re entitled to their view, but that’s not my view.”
