Greenham and Sons abattoir, Tongala Victoria

[Reverend Chris]

Her desperate plea for help.

There she stood, in that bare paddock at the back of the abattoir. She had no food. She was starving. She hadn't been milked for some time and her udder was full and painful. As soon as she saw us, she mustered up all the strength she had left and walked over to us as quickly as she could…..and then she pleaded with us for help. She desperately screamed and screamed and screamed at us for help. They all screamed at us for help. Their emaciated, broken bodies, full of milk, standing on dirt and/or mud were asking us with all they had left to please give them food and to please help them…and we couldn't and it completely broke us to leave them there.

This abattoir specialises in slaughtering spent dairy cows to be turned into mince meat for the American fast food industry. Many of these girls are shipped to Melbourne from Tasmania and then driven three hours to the abattoir. The others are purchased by the abattoir from farmers mostly around the area.

We saw them on Friday and they had no food. They were still there on Saturday and had no food except for the little my friend was able to give them.

This is dairy.

I will never forget her asking us for help. Never.

*Taken at Greenham and Sons abattoir, Tongala Victoria.