Editor’s note: Usually we publish media releases and statements in the order received. Sometime however a statement appears a little ‘after the fact’ and it makes more sense to foreground it as it is new information. This is what we have done here.

Tasmanian Times accepts that she as of 14 December 2023 was no longer an owner and is currently not an owner, having passed full ownership to her husband Sam.

We note that Stephanie Trethewey has not denied ownership of the abattoir at the time the footage was taken, therefore there are no ‘defamatory’ claims regarding her ownership. This video for example was shot on 7 September 2023. Tasmanian Times has confirmed with Farm Transparency Project that the datestamp on this and those on other images are correct.

We also find no evidence that Farm Transparency Project is extreme. If expecting animals to be treated according to the minimum welfare standards enshrined in legislation is ‘extreme’ then we are happy to be also be categorised as such.

Email – Stephanie Trethewey, 3 January 2023

Defamation: immediate removal of article

Hi Tasmanian Times team,

I am writing to ask you to immediately remove the defamatory article you have published on your website about me.
I am no longer a minority share holder of The Local Meat Co as of early December 2023, as per current ASIC records (attached) which you clearly haven’t bothered to check, and have just run with what an extreme animal rights organisation has posted.
I ask that you have this article removed immediately and a retraction published or I will unfortunately need to pursue further action with me legal team.
Kind regards,
Stephanie

Media release – Farm Transparency, 2 January 2024

Slaughterhouse owned by 2024 Tasmanian of the Year facing increasing pressure with the release of new hidden camera footage

New hidden camera footage from a slaughterhouse owned by 2024 Tasmanian of the Year shows ‘sustainable beef’ cows shot with a rifle up to eight times before losing consciousness and forced into the kill room using a hammer and a metal pipe. Investigators also captured footage of workers jabbing sheep and cows with painful electric prodders, including in the face and genitals, as well as beating, kicking and throwing sheep to the ground.

One cow is documented crying out in pain after having been shot in the head multiple times, while others become stuck in the stunning box and have their head crushed in the machinery, while they continue to display signs of consciousness.

The footage is part of a comprehensive investigation of five Tasmanian slaughterhouses, which showed systemic violence, cruelty and illegal activity. In response to an initial release of footage from all facilities, the state government announced the initiation of a taskforce to review existing animal welfare regulations, however the investigators behind the footage say that the response is “absolutely inadequate.”

Harley McDonald-Eckersall, Strategy & Campaigns Director of Farm Transparency Project, says that they are releasing more footage to the public, to demonstrate exactly why immediate action needs to be taken by the state government.

“We installed cameras at the Local Meat Co for just two days. In that small amount of time, we documented some of the most brutal treatment of cows and sheep we have witnessed in recent years. By allowing this slaughterhouse to continue operating in the face of this footage, the state government is sending a message that this kind of treatment of animals is ok and will lead to no ramifications.”

“Instead of suspending this facility while a thorough, independent investigation takes place, the government has chosen to launch a taskforce to review existing animal welfare regulations. Not only is this taskforce led by representatives from the animal slaughter industry, who have a strong interest in preserving current practices, it fails to take into account the fact that our footage reveals multiple violations of existing state and federal regulations. If slaughterhouses in Tasmania are routinely acting against current legislation, why should anyone believe that they would respect new regulations?”

Farm Transparency Project captured the footage across August and September 2023, when investigators illegally entered and installed cameras at some of Tasmania’s largest slaughterhouses. The group is calling on the Tasmanian government to immediately suspend the operating license of all the facilities where illegal activity has been uncovered, and to immediately order mandatory, publicly accessible CCTV in all licensed slaughterhouses.

In an email to Farm Transparency Project, Stephanie Trethewey has denied owning the abattoir and threatened legal action, despite a wealth of evidence including ASIC records, domain registrations, and the company’s own website and social media pages.

Media release – Tasmanian Ag Co, 2 May 2022

Tas Ag Co founders acquire abattoir


Media release – Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Leader, 2 January 2024

The Local Meat Co. Footage Confirms Urgent Need for Slaughterhouse Regulation

Footage released by the Farm Transparency Project of cruelty in The Local Farm Co’s Sheffield slaughterhouse confirms the urgent need for industry-wide regulation. Tasmania needs government regulated CCTV surveillance and monitoring, and it needs it now.

Once again, it’s been activists doing the work to expose animal cruelty – and the Liberals doing nothing to regulate an industry perpetrating it.

The Farm Transparency Project installed cameras in a quarter of Tasmania’s slaughterhouses, and in every single one of them horrific animal abuse was recorded. There is systemic cruelty in the abattoir industry – not just a few ‘bad apples’.

In response to the CCTV footage released, abattoir companies have sacked individuals identified in the footage – but that’s not the answer. Employees work within the culture and conditions their employers set. It’s a government’s job to set and regulate industry standards, and to make sure companies adjust their standards so workers in their facilities comply.

Abattoirs view animals as a unit of production, but that should not deny the reality – those animals are sentient, and experience fear and suffering. Welfare laws and industry regulations are supposed to reduce trauma and pain as much as possible.

The meat industry cannot pretend systemic slaughterhouse brutality is not happening, and neither can the government. This a deeply uncomfortable and cruel truth companies and Primary Industries Minister Jo Palmer are trying to hide from.

In this instance, we have a Tasmanian of the Year denying links to The Local Meat Co, even when ASIC searches and documentation say otherwise. The attempt to deny the connection is itself an acknowledgment widespread slaughterhouse cruelty is way outside community expectations, not to mention welfare laws.

Many companies are marketing their products as sustainable and cruelty-free. Tasmanian consumers should be able to make an informed, honest choice – and it’s up to Minister Palmer to regulate the authenticity of “cruelty-free” meat on the shelf.

Jo Palmer’s taskforce is not enough to tackle industry-wide slaughterhouse cruelty. Immediately committing to the long called for mandatory CCTV and independent monitoring is the only way forward.