Inghams Sacks Workers for Cruelty to Turkeys
AUSTRALIA - Inghams sacked five workers on Friday, 22 March, for beating turkeys as they were prepared for slaughter.ABC reports that secret footage of people punching and kicking turkeys at the company's Tahmoor processing plant, south west of Sydney, came to light last week from Animal Liberation.
Inghams reported the names to the NSW Police, who are considering charges of animal cruelty.
Kevin McBain, chief executive of Inghams EnterpriseS, says cameras have been installed over the weekend in all the bird handling areas.
The union representing meatworkers says it won't support members under investigation for animal cruelty.
The federal secretary of the Australasian Meat industry Employees Union, Graeme Smith, said the case is isolated, and that the union didn't support cameras in abattoirs that the public can view.
"They're not particularly nice places, and no matter how well people stick to the guidelines, no matter how well people do things exactly as they're supposed to do, footage of slaughter of animals leaking out to the public is not something that is viewed very well."
The sale of Inghams for $850 million to a global equity firm went through last month, and the company said this incident has not affected the future of the turkey processing plant.