Small Abattoir Processing Sheep

Here are a few of the photos taken during our visit to a small country abattoir outside of Perth, Western Australia. We were interested to see how a small family run abattoir that processed small numbers of animals operated, compared to a large factory abattoir. I visited a large beef abattoir many years ago and was saddened to see how frightened the animals were before they were stunned. It was extremely busy and noisy and the calls from the other animals were distressing for those waiting in the lanes. I wanted to see if there was a better way to kill our meat animals, causing the least stress possible and achieving a completely pain free and instant death. In Australia, all animals killed for sale as meat have to be killed under strict conditions that satisfy the requirements of Health and Safety regulations. Large animals must be inspected by a meat health inspector while being processed. Unfortunately for most of our meat farm animals this means they are sent to large factory abattoirs for processing. There are a few small abattoirs left in Western Australia that process small numbers of animals and have a meat health inspector visit on kill days. These small abattoirs offer a small meat producer and his animals a few benefits. Firstly, a farmer can stay and observe the entire process from off loading his animals to cutting and packing the meat, so he or she can be assured that the animals have not suffered during the process. Secondly, the sheep can see a familiar face and feel some reassurance. Thirdly, the sheep are processed in very small numbers and well away from the other sheep. They are given an electric shock that stuns them into unconsciousness outside the building and are then pulled through into the processing room. Before they are stunned they do not call out more than is usual for sheep so they do not agitate the others waiting in the yards below. Once each group is processed, another is driven up onto the stunning platform, away from the sight of the other sheep below. The process is much kinder to the animals than what I observed in a large factory abattoir. No process that involves killing an animal is going to be completely stress free unless you shoot your animal through the brain while he is eating some grass in the paddock- which incidentally is how farmers manage animals they kill for their own consumption. Animals killed in such a way can be eaten by the farmer but are legally not able to be sold to a third party. This is where the problem lays. The quickest, kindest and most stress free way to kill an animal is not able to be practiced on animals for public sale. However, my observations at the small abattoir were that, as far as abattoirs go, this is the better option if you are concerned about your animals' welfare.

BE WARNED: There are graphic photos of sheep being processed on this page! If you do not want to see sheep being killed, skinned and cut up, DO NOT LOOK AT THIS POST!!!


The holding yards at the abattoir- undercover. The animals are held for several hours to reduce the stress they have experienced during transport to the facilities. The building looks like a shearing shed and so the sheep will be most likely expecting to be shorn- a mildly stressful, but usually painless (depending on your shearer!) procedure that they know and understand. This helps reduce the stress they feel in the unfamiliar waiting yards.

Pigs waiting to be processed. The abattoir processes sheep, cattle and pigs.

Sheep waiting to be processed. They are stunned where they stand and do not see inside the processing room at any time. They are unaware they are about to be slaughtered- they are most likely expecting to be sheared or some other activity they have experienced in the past.

Sheep feet as seen from inside the processing room. The sheep are waiting to be rendered unconscious with the stunner before the door is opened and the sheep are pulled through to the processing room.

Freshly slaughtered sheep being prepared for skinning and gutting. This is not a job I would enjoy, but I respect the men here doing this job as I saw that they managed the animals with care. 

Skinning and washing

Gutting the sheep

Finished carcasses

I was pleased to know that the abattoir has an open door policy for the producers who have their animals processed there, and that they were obliging enough to let me take photos of their business. They did an excellent job of processing these sheep in the quickest and least stressful way possible.