The discovery of "disturbing" footage showing pigs being beaten with a metal pole has caused a Sydney abattoir to be shut down.
The video footage also showed the pigs being slaughtered in a way that goes against Australian regulations, put in place to ensure the welfare of the animals.
The Hawkesbury Valley Abattoir, north of Sydney, was closed by the NSW Food Authority after it received the video showing “acts of gross animal mistreatment.”
The department will be conducting a full investigation into the treatment of the animals.
The footage was taken undercover over six days and handed to the NSW Police and the ABC’s Lateline program.
It is reminiscent of the brutal treatment of cattle in Indonesian abattoirs almost exactly a year ago, which was exposed on the ABC’s Four Corners, sparking national outcry and leading to a ban on live export to Indonesia by the Gillard government.
The latest revelations follow the discovery of an illegal slaughterhouse in Victoria last week which led to criminal charges, as well as a broiler farm that was found to be underfeeding chickens and had them removed from the premises.
The incidents are increasing calls from the RSPCA for security cameras to be installed in all abattoirs.
NSW chief executive Steve Coleman told ABC radio the RSPCA would “not object” to the installation and would support a move to have cameras installed.
"I think we'd go further, and suggest there's a range of businesses where that could be useful," he said.
"The concerns we have (are) in relation to some of the slaughter methods and the animal handling methods."
According to veterinarian Mark Simpson, more than100 breaches to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1979 were shown in the footage.
In the video, pigs are shown being dragged to the sticking table before being knocked unconscious and beaten over the head with a steel rod.
The slaughterman was seen hitting some of the pigs up to 13 times and Simpson said the fact the pigs were taking minutes to die and were not stunned properly goes against Australian regulations.
It was one of the directors of the abattoir, Glenn Langley, who handed the footage over to the NSW Food Authority, after being shocked to discover the mistreatment.
"The video shows the slaughter of sheep, cattle, goats and pigs that allegedly breaches the Food Regulation 2010 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979,” a statement from the NSW Food Authority states.
“Australian standards under Food Regulation 2010 require that 'animals are slaughtered in a way that prevents unnecessary injury, pain and suffering to them and causes them the least practical disturbance'."
Following the investigation, perpetrators could face up to two years in prison or a $110 000 fine if found guilty of aggravated acts of cruelty to animals.