Small-scale livestock farmers in Australia are facing mounting pressure as abattoirs across the country increasingly foreclose access to their services. The issue is accelerating as companies vertically integrate and/or are bought up by large multinationals who would rather export industrial meat than feed Australian communities.
Hardwicks, Victoria’s largest and most central cattle and sheep abattoir, announced the end of small service kills effective 14 December, giving farmers just two weeks’ notice in the lead up to Christmas. The situation in Victoria reflects what is happening in every state across Australia. Farmers in southwestern WA were told that they would lose access to their last option (DBC) in February 2025 as well as Tammin abattoir. DBC recently backpedalled on this decision and remains open for service kills. In New South Wales, farmers lost access to three abattoirs in just the last four months (Cowra, Canowindra, and Booyong).
This is not a standalone issue, nor a state problem–it’s a national crisis–and AFSA is taking action to safeguard the future of local food production. Farmers’ and butchers’ livelihoods are threatened, animals are being transported much longer distances, cold chain logistics will have to be found or developed at great additional cost, and access to local, pasture-raised meat could disappear, giving way to more feedlot and industrial meat produced by corporations.
On this page, you’ll find important information, resources and actions to drive AFSA’s National Abattoir Campaign to ensure that small- and medium-scale livestock farmers are not squeezed out of production through corporate consolidated ownership of infrastructure.
What can you do right now?
- Sign our petitions and share widely:
- Victoria e-petition: small-scale livestock farming (closed on 20 January 2025). We will keep Victorian residents informed about further updates. AFSA has met with Martha Haylett MP, who sponsored this petition and has committed to take this issue for discussion in Parliament.
- Tasmania e-petition: Support small-scale Tasmanian meat processors (closed on 16 February 2025). Tasmanian Labor has publicly declared its support for the petition, started by the Southern Tasmanian Association of Meat Processors (STAMP). Again, AFSA will keep Tasmanian residents informed about further updates.
- Upcoming: QLD state petition (draft)
- Supporting MP: TBC
- Upcoming: NSW state petition (draft)
- Supporting MP: TBC
- Upcoming: WA state petition (draft)
- Supporting MP: TBC
- South Australia has no petition as it currently has the most enabling legislation in the country, where ‘stock slaughter works’ are a ‘deemed to satisfy’ development, fast tracked (according to the planning scheme), and not subject to notice and review.
- The feedback we’ve received from governments is that they need strong data to back up the need for reforms. In response, AFSA launched a National Survey on Securing the Future of Small-Scale Livestock Farming, which closed in early February. As of March 2025, AFSA is about to release its Survey Report on Securing the Future of Small-Scale Livestock Farming, which will be live shortly.
- Write a letter to your local MP and let them know you’re deeply concerned about the future of local food production. We’ve put together a template which can be addressed to your local member, to let them know that we need urgent reforms to enable producers to build their own micro-abattoirs on farms.
- Speak out on social media! Let governments know what we stand to lose if abattoirs continue to close their doors to smallholders, and we have no protections in place to build micro and mobile abattoirs. Here’s an example of what you can do to paint a picture of what will be lost in your local community. Don’t forget to tag us (@ausfoodsov) so we can share your message loud and clear across our platforms. If you’re having trouble clicking through to the link, we’ve pasted this example below:
- Become an AFSA member. We are a farmer and First Peoples-led, volunteer-run organisation, and we rely solely on membership to keep our work to transform the food system going.
What is AFSA doing?
AFSA has been hard at work launching the National Abattoir Campaign, which includes pulling together important information and resources for farmers to take action on building their own micro-abattoirs, as well as working collaboratively with state governments to get urgent measures enacted to safeguard the future of small-scale livestock farming. This includes:
Meat Collective Starter Pack
(Member-only resource), which includes documentation shared by the Meat Collective @ Jonai:
- Micro-abattoir building design
- Abattoir Construction Budget & Project Plan
- Draft OpEx
- Planning approval process
- Food safety program
- Meat collective governance
- Avoiding debt & funding your micro abattoir
- EMP/Waste Management
If you would like to grab a copy of the Meat Collective Starter Pack, please ensure you sign up for AFSA membership, then email us to get access;
Other AFSA Advocacy Activities
- Writing letters to state ministers, asking for their urgent support to enact reforms to state planning legislation;
- Meeting with state agriculture and primary industry departments to discuss the national abattoir crisis and provide them with information about how governments can support farmers in the transition towards micro-abattoirs. So far we have had meetings with:
- QLD Government
- WA Government
- VIC Government
- Talking to the media to ensure key messages in the National Abattoir Campaign reach a wide audience of farmers, eaters and policymakers;
- Providing advice and support to farmers who have been impacted by abattoir closures, or soon will be;
- Sharing important updates and information across AFSA’s social media channels.
Media coverage
AFSA’s National Abattoir Campaign and call to action for critical reforms was recently featured on Channel 7 News, highlighting that the corporate consolidation of abattoirs and other processing infrastructure is squeezing small-medium scale producers out of production.
What can governments do?
Here are a list of briefing notes we’ve compiled that detail the key recommendations for urgent reforms needed to safeguard the future of small-scale livestock farmers and butchers, and everyone’s access to local meat:
Got any other ideas? Send us an email!
We’re keen to hear suggestions on how we strengthen this campaign through allyship, media, content and anything else that help us win urgent reforms needed to secure the future of small-scale livestock farming in Australia.
Mental health support and resources
- Lifeline – 24/7 suicide prevention and crisis support. Provides all Australians access to crisis support and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14
- Suicide Call Back Service – Free 24/7 telephone counselling support if you are at risk of or affected by suicide. Delivered by trained counsellors at Lifeline. Call 1300 659 467
- 13 YARN – For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are going through a tough time and feel like having a yarn. Call 13 92 76
- 1800 Respect – Support if you, or someone you know, is experiencing sexual assault or domestic and family violence. Call 1800 737 732
