Latest news with #ChrisDelforce
The Australian
16 hours ago
- The Australian
RSPCA orders pigs to die in disturbing new SA pig farm development
In a disturbing development to an ongoing story involving the alleged mistreatment of hundreds of pigs at a farm in South Australia, the RSPCA has ordered more than a dozen creatures be euthanised. The Andgar Piggery, located near the small regional town of Dublin, SA, has become the centre of widespread controversy since a dossier of photos, videos and documents revealed the shocking conditions being experienced by pigs at the farm. Pigs were observed in various states of decay when activists broke in and began recording. Picture: Supplied Released in June by the Farm Transparency Project (FTP), a Melbourne-based activist group, the huge catalogue of photos depicts animals living – and dying – in squalor. Footage shows animals consuming the remains of their dead littermates as other exhausted creatures wade through thick muck, which FTP chief executive Chris Delforce said was 'up to their stomachs, at least, if not higher'. 'Just seeing the pigs wading through their own filth … I've been investigating piggeries for 13 years or so now, and it's always a pretty horrific experience … but this place in particular, I think, was kind of on another level,' he said. RSPCA South Australia released a statement on Tuesday that said its investigation into the Andgar piggery was 'progressing'. 'RSPCA inspectorate officers accompanied by PIRSA veterinary staff have conducted two raids of the piggery and 14 pigs have been euthanised,' a spokesman said. Some of the more distressing pictures featured an animal with a severe, necrotic wound about 10cm wide and deep enough to hold a pile of dirt. Picture: Supplied 'The RSPCA has issued 21 animal welfare notices instructing the owners and manager to take immediate action regarding conditions and maintenance. They must maintain compliance and the inspectorate is monitoring the operation with spot inspections.' The RSPCA said the farm's owners had been formally interviewed as part of a 'large and highly complex' investigation, and it is 'now preparing a comprehensive brief of evidence with a view to instigate court proceedings'. 'The RSPCA South Australia is empowered to investigate animal cruelty and enforce animal welfare legislation in our state. In addition to issuing animal welfare notices, we can also lay criminal charges,' the spokesman said. 'We acknowledge the distress and concern these images have caused and we want to assure the community that we take any allegation of animal cruelty extremely seriously.' Despite these comments, Mr Delforce claimed the RSPCA was approached by a whistleblower well before the FTP infiltrated the property. Protesters turned up to the piggery on Saturday in their dozens to condemn the conditions and call for change. Picture: Supplied In screenshots shared to Facebook on Thursday, FTP advertised segments of the anonymous whistleblower's claims that their partner – somebody who regularly attended the pig farm – 'would come home traumatised by some of the cruelty and lack of maintenance and care of animals'. Mr Delforce said the RSPCA was alerted 'a month before' activists arrived at the farm and accused it of allowing 'unchecked, unmonitored, unaddressed' cruelty to proliferate. 'It seems the RSPCA is not adequately resourced or funded or motivated to go and inspect these places on their own,' he said 'They are the authority that has been legally assigned to investigate and prosecute cruelty issues in animal farms, and if they're not doing it, nobody else is doing it.' FTP chief executive Chris Delforce said the Andgar Piggery had already been flagged to the RSPCA by a whistleblower, but he said no action was taken in the first instance. Picture: Supplied One of Andgar's co-owners spoke to NewsWire earlier this month, saying the piggery was struggling because it 'went from four workers to one' and 'no one wants to work'. 'Of course the piggery's never been like that. For all the years we've run pigs, they've never been like that. It's just all of a sudden, you've got no workers,' he said. Mr Delforce believes the state and federal government have failed to provide 'any support for farmers who want to get out of this industry'. 'I think he should have made the decision to shut down … it's not an excuse to have pigs drowning in their own waste just because you can't get employees, so stop breeding them,' he said. The South Australian government declined to comment on the ongoing RSPCA investigation. In South Australia, those found guilty of animal cruelty offences can be fined up to $250,000 and/or receive a maximum 10 years in jail. Read related topics: Adelaide Jack Nivison Cadet Journalist Jack began his journalism career as a freelancer for the New England Times, a small community paper based in Armidale, regional New South Wales. He is currently a Sydney-based Cadet Journalist at News Corp. Jack Nivison
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Pig farm horror ‘on another level'
In a disturbing development to an ongoing story involving the alleged mistreatment of hundreds of pigs at a farm in South Australia, the RSPCA has ordered more than a dozen creatures be euthanised. The Andgar Piggery, located near the small regional town of Dublin, SA, has become the centre of widespread controversy since a dossier of photos, videos and documents revealed the shocking conditions being experienced by pigs at the farm. Pigs were observed in various states of decay when activists broke in and began recording. Supplied Credit: Supplied Released in June by the Farm Transparency Project (FTP), a Melbourne-based activist group, the huge catalogue of photos depicts animals living – and dying – in squalor. Footage shows animals consuming the remains of their dead littermates as other exhausted creatures wade through thick muck, which FTP chief executive Chris Delforce said was 'up to their stomachs, at least, if not higher'. 'Just seeing the pigs wading through their own filth … I've been investigating piggeries for 13 years or so now, and it's always a pretty horrific experience … but this place in particular, I think, was kind of on another level,' he said. RSPCA South Australia released a statement on Tuesday that said its investigation into the Andgar piggery was 'progressing'. 'RSPCA inspectorate officers accompanied by PIRSA veterinary staff have conducted two raids of the piggery and 14 pigs have been euthanised,' a spokesman said. Some of the more distressing pictures featured an animal with a severe, necrotic wound about 10cm wide and deep enough to hold a pile of dirt. Supplied Credit: Supplied 'The RSPCA has issued 21 animal welfare notices instructing the owners and manager to take immediate action regarding conditions and maintenance. They must maintain compliance and the inspectorate is monitoring the operation with spot inspections.' The RSPCA said the farm's owners had been formally interviewed as part of a 'large and highly complex' investigation, and it is 'now preparing a comprehensive brief of evidence with a view to instigate court proceedings'. 'The RSPCA South Australia is empowered to investigate animal cruelty and enforce animal welfare legislation in our state. In addition to issuing animal welfare notices, we can also lay criminal charges,' the spokesman said. 'We acknowledge the distress and concern these images have caused and we want to assure the community that we take any allegation of animal cruelty extremely seriously.' Despite these comments, Mr Delforce claimed the RSPCA was approached by a whistleblower well before the FTP infiltrated the property. Protesters turned up to the piggery on Saturday in their dozens to condemn the conditions and call for change. Supplied Credit: Supplied In screenshots shared to Facebook on Thursday, FTP advertised segments of the anonymous whistleblower's claims that their partner – somebody who regularly attended the pig farm – 'would come home traumatised by some of the cruelty and lack of maintenance and care of animals'. Mr Delforce said the RSPCA was alerted 'a month before' activists arrived at the farm and accused it of allowing 'unchecked, unmonitored, unaddressed' cruelty to proliferate. 'It seems the RSPCA is not adequately resourced or funded or motivated to go and inspect these places on their own,' he said 'They are the authority that has been legally assigned to investigate and prosecute cruelty issues in animal farms, and if they're not doing it, nobody else is doing it.' FTP chief executive Chris Delforce said the Andgar Piggery had already been flagged to the RSPCA by a whistleblower, but he said no action was taken in the first instance. Supplied Credit: Supplied One of Andgar's co-owners spoke to NewsWire earlier this month, saying the piggery was struggling because it 'went from four workers to one' and 'no one wants to work'. 'Of course the piggery's never been like that. For all the years we've run pigs, they've never been like that. It's just all of a sudden, you've got no workers,' he said. Mr Delforce believes the state and federal government have failed to provide 'any support for farmers who want to get out of this industry'. 'I think he should have made the decision to shut down … it's not an excuse to have pigs drowning in their own waste just because you can't get employees, so stop breeding them,' he said. The South Australian government declined to comment on the ongoing RSPCA investigation. In South Australia, those found guilty of animal cruelty offences can be fined up to $250,000 and/or receive a maximum 10 years in jail.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
RSPCA orders killing in disturbing new pig farm development
In a disturbing development to an ongoing story involving the alleged mistreatment of hundreds of pigs at a farm in South Australia, the RSPCA has ordered more than a dozen creatures be euthanised. The Andgar Piggery, located near the small regional town of Dublin, SA, has become the centre of widespread controversy since a dossier of photos, videos and documents revealed the shocking conditions being experienced by pigs at the farm. Released in June by the Farm Transparency Project (FTP), a Melbourne-based activist group, the huge catalogue of photos depicts animals living – and dying – in squalor. Footage shows animals consuming the remains of their dead littermates as other exhausted creatures wade through thick muck, which FTP chief executive Chris Delforce said was 'up to their stomachs, at least, if not higher'. 'Just seeing the pigs wading through their own filth … I've been investigating piggeries for 13 years or so now, and it's always a pretty horrific experience … but this place in particular, I think, was kind of on another level,' he said. RSPCA South Australia released a statement on Tuesday that said its investigation into the Andgar piggery was 'progressing'. 'RSPCA inspectorate officers accompanied by PIRSA veterinary staff have conducted two raids of the piggery and 14 pigs have been euthanised,' a spokesman said. 'The RSPCA has issued 21 animal welfare notices instructing the owners and manager to take immediate action regarding conditions and maintenance. They must maintain compliance and the inspectorate is monitoring the operation with spot inspections.' The RSPCA said the farm's owners had been formally interviewed as part of a 'large and highly complex' investigation, and it is 'now preparing a comprehensive brief of evidence with a view to instigate court proceedings'. 'The RSPCA South Australia is empowered to investigate animal cruelty and enforce animal welfare legislation in our state. In addition to issuing animal welfare notices, we can also lay criminal charges,' the spokesman said. 'We acknowledge the distress and concern these images have caused and we want to assure the community that we take any allegation of animal cruelty extremely seriously.' Despite these comments, Mr Delforce claimed the RSPCA was approached by a whistleblower well before the FTP infiltrated the property. In screenshots shared to Facebook on Thursday, FTP advertised segments of the anonymous whistleblower's claims that their partner – somebody who regularly attended the pig farm – 'would come home traumatised by some of the cruelty and lack of maintenance and care of animals'. Mr Delforce said the RSPCA was alerted 'a month before' activists arrived at the farm and accused it of allowing 'unchecked, unmonitored, unaddressed' cruelty to proliferate. 'It seems the RSPCA is not adequately resourced or funded or motivated to go and inspect these places on their own,' he said 'They are the authority that has been legally assigned to investigate and prosecute cruelty issues in animal farms, and if they're not doing it, nobody else is doing it.' One of Andgar's co-owners spoke to NewsWire earlier this month, saying the piggery was struggling because it 'went from four workers to one' and 'no one wants to work'. 'Of course the piggery's never been like that. For all the years we've run pigs, they've never been like that. It's just all of a sudden, you've got no workers,' he said. Mr Delforce believes the state and federal government have failed to provide 'any support for farmers who want to get out of this industry'. 'I think he should have made the decision to shut down … it's not an excuse to have pigs drowning in their own waste just because you can't get employees, so stop breeding them,' he said. The South Australian government declined to comment on the ongoing RSPCA investigation. In South Australia, those found guilty of animal cruelty offences can be fined up to $250,000 and/or receive a maximum 10 years in jail.
7NEWS
6 days ago
- 7NEWS
Pigs put down as authorities investigate video of allegedly shocking conditions at Adelaide piggery
Fourteen pigs have been put down as authorities investigate allegations of neglect highlighted in shocking video which animal activists claim to have captured at a South Australian piggery. Farm Transparency Project says the video — captured by activists who snuck onto the piggery on two separate occasions at night — allegedly shows piles of rotting pig carcasses, in some cases with sick but still alive animals trapped underneath. RSPCA South Australia and the state government's Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) both confirmed they are investigating the claims against the piggery — which they did not name but which FTP said was Andgar Piggery — at Dublin, a small rural town on the Adelaide Plains about 60km north of the state capital. The RSPCA said 14 pigs were euthanised by inspectors who attended the piggery on June 27 and 21 animal welfare notices were issued instructing the piggery owners and manager to take immediate action regarding conditions and maintenance. RSPCA said the owners and managers have been 'formally interviewed' as the 'complex' investigation of the piggery continues. Andgar Piggery declined to comment when contacted by No charges have been laid. Victoria-based activist group FTP said its volunteers entered the piggery at night on June 14 and 20, after being tipped off by a member of the public who had also reported the alleged conditions there to the RSPCA South Australia in May. The volunteers allegedly captured footage which the group claims shows concerning conditions for the pigs inside four separate sheds at the property, including pigs living alongside the decomposing bodies of dead pigs, and sick animals trapped amid a pile of dead pigs. On June 26, FTP supplied a 16-minute clip to the RSPCA, which immediately carried out an inspection at the property on June 27. The FTP posted the full video online on July 13 as animal advocates called for immediate action. Animal Liberation South Australia has since organised a protest outside the piggery on July 19, also calling for action. Farm Transparency Project executive director Chris Delforce called on the government to do more to protect the welfare of farm animals. 'This is indicative of a public that has zero faith in authorities to protect animals, a perception which this government has earned through years of gutless inaction,' he said. 'If the government really want to fix the animal welfare issues that are rife across this country, they'll have to grow the spine to stand up to the lobby groups of animal slaughter industries, who currently operate with minimal oversight or regulation. 'Until that day, we'll continue to do the government's work for them by making consumers aware exactly what they are supporting when they buy products from animals farmed and killed in Australia.' PIRSA and RSPCASA confirmed to that they are still investigating the matter. 'RSPCA South Australia can confirm that a report has been received in relation to concerns regarding the welfare of animals at a property north of Adelaide,' a spokesperson said. 'Our inspectorate are currently investigating the complaint and, as such, no further comments will be provided at this time.' When asked about the FTP video and the RSPCA and PIRSA investigation, acting SA Premier and Environment Minister Susan Close said South Australians do not tolerate animal cruelty. 'South Australians have little tolerance for acts of animal cruelty and the South Australian Government is overhauling a number of pieces of legislation pertaining to the management and care of animals to bring them into line with community expectations,' she told 'Under state animal welfare legislation, there are also numerous codes, including the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals, Livestock and Poultry at Slaughtering Establishments (Abattoirs, Slaughterhouses and Knackeries), to ensure animals are treated humanely. 'The South Australian Government also had input into a national review of livestock processing standards and guidelines.'
ABC News
7 days ago
- ABC News
Animal Welfare Notices issued to SA's Andgar Piggery after 14 euthanased by RSPCA
Warning: This article contains distressing content about the alleged mistreatment of animals. It also includes graphic images of injuries and animal living conditions that may cause distress. The ABC has chosen to exclude some of the more confronting images provided. Officials have euthanased over a dozen pigs at a South Australian piggery following two raids by the RSPCA. The investigation was prompted after an animal rights group leaked footage appearing to show pigs feeding on carcasses, and living alongside dead and decomposing animals. The owners and manager of Andgar Piggery at Dublin, 50 minutes outside Adelaide, were also issued with 21 Animal Welfare Notices instructing them to "take immediate action in regards to conditions and maintenance". The ABC reviewed the vision which, according to Victorian-based Farm Transparency Project (FTP), was taken on June 14 and 20. The group's executive director Chris Delforce said the footage was shot inside four sheds where livestock were housed, but the ABC could not independently verify the filming location. "It's clear that the South Australian community is shocked by what they've seen at this piggery and there's a question now about how it was able to get this bad in the first place, " he said. "What it seems to us is that the RSPCA simply does not have the resources to be able to effectively monitor the welfare of animals in farms across the state. "You have to wonder how much cruelty … is going unseen, unnoticed. Mr Delforce said FTP had so far not experienced any legal repercussions for entering the Dublin facility unlawfully, but the group had been fined for illegally entering other agricultural premises in the past to film animals and their living conditions. "We understand that's always going to be a risk, doing what we do, and we accept that there are going to be legal consequences," he said. "But without us taking those risks and facing those consequences nothing will get seen by the public. "Nothing will get done. There'll be no incentive for the government or the RSPCA to actually step in and do anything." In a statement, the SA government said it was aware that RSPCA South Australia was investigating a complaint relating to the piggery but "will not provide commentary on an ongoing investigation". "The state government fully funds RSPCA SA to enforce the act and has provided RSPCA SA an extra $16 million over four years since the 2024-'25 state budget for animal welfare compliance activities," it said. "The government hopes the RSPCA SA finalise their investigation soon and if they find that charges should be laid that they do this expeditiously. "South Australians have no tolerance for acts of animal cruelty." In the wake of media coverage of the footage, dozens of protesters gathered outside the site on Long Plains Road on Saturday to demand the closure of the facility. In a statement on Tuesday, RSPCA South Australia said the investigation into alleged animal welfare breaches at Andgar Piggery was still progressing. Along with the 21 Animal Welfare Notices, the RSPCA said its inspectors would continue to monitor the operation with "spot inspections". The owners and manager had also been formally interviewed, and the RSPCA said it was "now preparing a comprehensive brief of evidence with a view to instigate court proceedings". "We acknowledge the distress and concern these images have caused and we want to assure the community that we take any allegation of animal cruelty extremely seriously," its statement added. "Our Inspectors work diligently with the South Australian Police and other relevant agencies to fully investigate allegations of animal ill-treatment and bring offenders before the courts." The RSPCA did not clarify if charges had been laid. Piggery owner Andgar Proprietors declined to comment. Under South Australia's amended Animal Welfare Act those found guilty of animal cruelty face maximum fines of up to $250,000 and/or 10 years jail for the aggravated ill-treatment of an animal. A corporation can now be fined up to $1 million for mistreating animals. The reforms, which came into effect in February, also include a proactive "duty of care" provision requiring pet owners to provide animals with a minimum level of care such as adequate food and water. The RSPCA and PIRSA were contacted for further comment.
