Australian Eggs has been made aware of disturbing video footage of hens being abused at an egg farm in Victoria.
The footage appears to show serious acts of animal cruelty including contractors attempting to kill hens through brutal and disgraceful methods that in no way reflects standard industry practice.
Euthanising hens is a necessary part of egg farming and it is critical that it is done in the most humane way.
Industry guidelines on euthanising hens emphasise the importance of using the best methods to minimise suffering and correct handling to minimise stress to birds.
Australian Eggs provides training on humanely euthanising hens through accredited training facilitators and this service is made available to egg farms across the country.
This incident demonstrates the importance of mandatory animal welfare standards which is supported by industry as part of the Standards and Guidelines process.
There is no connection between industry standards and the animal cruelty that appears to have been captured in the video footage.
Where the abuse of animals may have occurred, Australian Eggs encourages regulatory authorities to investigate to determine if there has been breaches of animal cruelty laws.
