Inghams workers accused of torturing turkeys in the company’s processing plant in Sydney’s South West were sacked on Friday in response to anonymous footage taken of the incident according to www.abc.net.au.
The footage was supplied to Animal Liberation showing employees kicking and punching turkeys as they were being prepared for slaughter.
The names of the workers have been supplied to police by Inghams who have stated that they do not “tolerate the mistreatment of livestock” and have backed this statement by installing cameras in all bird handling areas over the weekend.
The incident begs the question as to whether other poultry and meat processing plants will be forced to install CCTV monitoring cameras, an initiative that Animal Liberation and the RSPCA called for last week in response to the footage.
The timing coincides with the end of Meat Free Week, a campaign designed to discourage consumers to eat meat and shed light on the realities of factory farming.
Inghams Enterprises was sold to a global private equity firm last month and have claimed that the incident has not affected the future of the company.