THE High Court today ruled that animal activists must destroy video footage taken illegally at a Victorian meat processing plant, setting a legal precedent that could ban other spy-cam broadcasts.

The court ruled that the activists from Farm Transparency International (FTI) had 14 days to destroy the 14-minute goat kill-floor compilation filmed by trespassers between January and April 2024 at Game Meats Company (GMC) Eurobin facility.

FTI is also banned from sharing the footage, or any copies made of it.

However, following today’s judgement, FTI has suggested others could share the images. “No restriction was placed on publication by third-parties who may have downloaded the footage in the hours it was originally published before the initial injunction forced its removal,” the group said on its social media.

The decision follows an appeal by FTI against earlier rulings from the Federal and lower courts that awarded copyright of the footage to GMC. Today’s decision restored copyright to FTI, but ordered its destruction.

It was the fifth time the issue had faced court.

The activists themselves said the outcome of the High Court challenge would set a national precedent. Commenting on the case in December 2025, while pitching for crowd-funding on Facebook, they said: “The High Court will be the final arbiters on this case, with the outcome setting a binding precedent for future animal cruelty investigations in Australia.”

In May 2024 the activists sent the footage to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Channel Seven. The TV station did not broadcast the footage but published stories regarding the alleged animal cruelty at the abattoir.

The footage was published online by FTI’s agency Farm Transparency Project (FTP) in May 2024. However, a temporary injunction forced FTP to remove it within hours.

The matter was heard during a Federal Court trial in August 2024, After FTP admitted trespass, the court denied a permanent injunction against the footage.

A further injunction, issued last August, awarded GMC copyright over the footage.

The activists opposed the injunction on grounds that it would breach their implied right to political communication under the Australian Constitution.

GMC appealed to the full court of the Federal Court, which granted an injunction on the footage and ordered its destruction. It was the first time that the Federal Court had made such a decision in response to an act of trespass.

This afternoon, on a Facebook page, FTI executive director Chris Delforce said: “Today’s judgement is an enormous blow to the public’s right to know what happens to animals inside of Australian farms and slaughterhouses, and it gives a tick of approval to the kinds of illegally cruel conduct shown in the footage.”

However, the judgement led by Chief Justice Stephen Gageler, noted no cruelty by GMC. The High Court report noted earlier judgements ruled that the spy-cam footage did not disclose “criminality or regulatory breach on the part of Game Meats.”

Game Meats Co chief executive Chris Neville

Game Meats Co chief executive Chris Neville noted that the company, which holds an AusMeat A+ rating, has never been subject to any regulatory sanctions in its 29 years of operations.

Challenging the issue through the courts had come at considerable financial and emotional cost for the business and its owners, he added.

“Such an outcome is, in essence, what has always been sought by Game Meats from the outset – that is, that FTI not be entitled to publish the images it wrongfully and illegally obtained as a consequence of its trespasses,” he said.

FTI never contested the trespassing charges. In its response yesterday it said: “While the judgment allows for third-parties, such as media outlets, to publish illegally obtained footage of (alleged) animal cruelty, often the only way this comes to light is when civilian investigators… undertake great risks to get it.”

They continued that restriction of their activities “severely limits the ability of the public to know the kinds of animal cruelty and abuse they’re paying for at the checkout, and their ability to have informed ethical or political discussions about the place of commercialised animal cruelty in our society.

“The rights and interests of big business – even those regularly engaged in animal cruelty, such as GMC – have sadly taken a very clear precedence over those of everyday Australians.”

Further comments from the activists alleged incompetence, apathy “or outright corruption of licensing bodies such as the Federal Department of Agriculture.”(sic)

Mr Neville said it was important to note that Game Meats never objected to the images being provided to the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, which the DAFF received in May 2024.

He confirmed that a $130,000 fine imposed by an earlier court hearing had already been paid by the activist group.

He said: “Game Meats is a successful, privately owned regional agribusiness which sells and distributes its processed meat products to customers throughout Australia and to markets around the world.

“It has proudly, responsibly and lawfully operated its business in the town of Eurobin in Victoria (population, 239) for 29 years and is a committed local employer and supporter of its local community.

“Game Meats is pleased that these legal proceedings are, in substance, now at an end and looks forward to continuing to develop its business here in Australia and abroad in the years ahead.”