An Australian of the Year finalist divested shares in an abattoir owned by herself and her husband in the wake of "animal welfare issues".
Stephanie Trethewey, the founder of online rural mother's group Motherland, is Tasmanian Australian of the Year for 2024 — meaning she is in the running for the national title on January 25.
But as she waits to find out whether she will claim the country's top gong, Ms Trethewey says she has found herself "the target" of animal activists over a company she says she has had no involvement in.
In September, activists from Farm Transparency Project installed hidden cameras inside The Local Meat Co — an abattoir based in the north-west of Tasmania then co-owned by Ms Trethewey and her husband, Sam.
In early December, vision was released showing workers at the Sheffield abattoir roughly handling animals, including throwing and punching sheep. An expert familiar with abattoirs also told the ABC they had concerns about the facility's design and equipment.
Loading...The abattoir, along with several others, is now under investigation by the state's Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Media 'falsely naming someone as an owner'
In a statement on December 22, The Local Meat Co described the "illegally obtained footage" as unacceptable. The company also condemned "all mistreatment of animals".
The statement finishes with a note claiming there have been some "historical inaccuracies in the [media] reporting to date".
"Including falsely naming someone as an owner of The Local Meat Co who is not an owner or shareholder, as evidenced via an ASIC search," it said.
Ms Trethewey, a former AgriFuture Rural Women of the Year, has since denied having an "operational" involvement with the company, instead describing herself on social media as a former "minority shareholder".
But according to ASIC records, up until December, a company named SST & Co was the sole shareholder of The Local Meat Co.
The shareholders of SST & Co are Stephanie Trethewey and her husband, Sam Trethewey, and records show the company is based at their home in Dunorlan.
On December 11, 7 Tasmania News aired the footage taken inside The Local Meat Co abattoir and named Ms Tretheway as a co-owner.
ASIC documents show that three days later, SST & Co submitted documents notifying ASIC that it had divested its shares in The Local Meat Co, with Ms Tretheway's husband becoming the sole shareholder of The Local Meat Co.
The change was listed as occurring on December 1.
'Family owned' branding scrapped
Past versions of The Local Meat Co's website also refer to it as a "family owned" meat and processing business "run by Sam and Stephanie Trethewey".
The current website has removed references to the couple and the phrase "family owned".
In a series of stories on Instagram, Ms Trethewey said she had never been involved in the business operationally.
"I was a minority shareholder until December, and am no longer a part owner," she said.
"Yet my name (and only mine) has been dragged through the mud with the AOTY [Australian of the Year] award as the hook.
"Sam (who oversees the business but does not work in it day to day or has anything to do with processing) fired two staff last month when he was sent the footage, made upgrades to the facility immediately and has worked closely with government."
She also said she had switched her personal account and Motherland's account to private, after "becoming the target of some truly disgusting animal activists".
"I've received death threats and have been bullied via messages, emails and phone calls all day. I have closed off comments on our farming business too and am genuinely concerned for my family's safety," she said.
"All I can say is that I am in touch with lawyers, have reported certain individuals to police, spoken to journalists and have faith that the good ones do their research before rolling with what a group of crazy vegans say."
In another post on Instagram, Ms Trethewey said she had some "exciting ideas" on how to "protect other rural families from future organised crime, hate, and defamation by these evil people".
'We decided to remove myself from the ownership register'
After the ABC contacted her, Ms Trethewey said it was "a matter of public record" that she was a part owner until December.
"The business was leased as a family, even so, I have never had any management or operational involvement of the facility whatsoever," her statement said.
"When the issues around animal welfare were raised – and addressed immediately by The Local Meat Co – we decided to remove myself from the ownership register to reflect the reality that I have no operational involvement with the facility.
Ms Trethewey also said that she, "strained under social media voiced against [her] part ownership".
"This has been personally taxing for someone with a history of mental health struggles, all at a time I am trying to be a proud representative of Tasmania," she said.
LoadingLoading...Australian of the year nominee Stephanie Trethewey divested shares in The Local Meat Co abattoir following animal welfare issues - ABC News
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