Euthanising unviable piglets with blunt force trauma is quick and humane, while trespassing activists are a threat to livestock and workers, an inquiry has heard.
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"Euthanising pigs happens on farms," Australian Pork Limited chief executive Margo Andrae told Victoria's ongoing inquiry into pig welfare on Wednesday.
"It's undertaken to alleviate the suffering of an animal, any method of euthanasia must be instantaneous, effective, and humane."
The inquiry on Tuesday saw footage of piggery workers slamming piglets' heads against concrete floors and cutting their teeth and tails without pain relief, practices animal rights groups said were protected by agricultural exemptions to animal cruelty laws.
Inquiry chair, Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, asked if there were loopholes in animal welfare laws for agricultural purposes.
"I don't believe there are loopholes, chair, it's a simple fact that it is a practice that is humane. It is sanctioned," Ms Andrae responded.
Pork producers Tim Kingma and David Wright told the committee euthanising pigs with blunt force was not taken lightly by farmers and workers.
"We'll give it its best chance. We train our staff on how we treat them and look after them, but some times there is death and that's never pleasant for people." Mr Kingma told the committee.
"I believe that's a tool that is very efficient, very quick and it's over, straight away."
Australian Pork policy general manager Tanya Pittard said activists breaking into farms had likely spread diseases between properties.
"Yes, they have actually had an animal health impact because of the way that they operate," Ms Pittard told committee members.
The Australian Meat Industry Council, which will require CCTV surveillance from members for livestock welfare certification from 2026, said making the footage available to the public was inappropriate.
The footage will be checked by AUS-MEAT, an auditing, certification and training provider set up by livestock industry bodies in 1998.
Roughly 80 per cent of processors nationally are certified by the Australian Meat Industry Council.
The organisation's general manager for industry affairs, Tim Ryan, questioned the validity of the footage which sparked the inquiry and showed pigs struggling in a carbon dioxide gas chamber used to stun them before slaughter.
"We can't verify the accuracy of it and how much is legitimate and ... issues around how the footage has been treated or manipulated on the way," Mr Ryan said, before admitting some pigs demonstrated an adverse reaction to the euthanasia practice.
Inquiry chair Ms Purcell rejected Mr Ryan's doubt's about the video.
"(The ABC's) 730 is a very reputable program. I'm sure they would have verified that footage," Ms Purcell said.
Mr Ryan said the meat industry council was unable to have a "measured conversation" with animal rights groups about welfare practices.
"Their ultimate ideology, however it is expressed, is at odds with producing food from livestock," he said.
"Australians are not going to cease eating meat anytime soon."
Australia's pork industry contributes more than $6 billion to the national economy, Australian Pork told the inquiry, including $1.3 billion in Victoria.
It supports more than 3000 jobs in the state.
Australian Associated Press
