“I am shocked and utterly appalled after having seen the video footage,“ was the reaction of APL CEO, Andrew Spencer. “The treatment of the animals shown on the video is abhorrent.

“This is extremely disappointing given the really strong progress that our industry overall has shown in developing better welfare standards and appropriately caring for our animals. Australia was the first pig industry in the world to voluntarily elect for the industry removal of sow stalls. Practices such as those shown in this video have no place in our industry. The majority of pork producers in Australia rigorously adhere to world’s best practice when it comes to animal welfare. There is no way that we can tolerate treating pigs like this.

“I understand that the relevant authorities are investigating the farm in question. We await the outcome of that inquiry.“

Mr Spencer said: “There would seem to have been a significant delay in reporting this piggery to the authorities from the dates shown on the video footage, which I also find extremely concerning. We intend to try to ascertain why there should have been any delay in alerting the relevant authorities to this cruelty.“

Stockperson competency is the corner stone of good welfare in any piggery. The industry continues to heavily invest in staff and stockmanship training as it moves its sow herd from individual sow stalls to alternative group sow housing. Maintaining competent stockmanship is a critical element of this transition period.