4 Corners have now exposed the brutal slaughter of Australian sheep.
And here we are again. Debating at what price do we accept the astonishing cruelty to and the torture of Australian animals.
When the ABC’s 4 Corners exposed the incredibly brutal treatment of Australian cattle in Indonesian abattoirs last year, the footage was incredibly distressing. There was a massive public outcry. How could this be allowed to happen? Following intense pressure from the community, from animal rights industry and from the media, the Government was forced to take action.
A temporary ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia was put in place, until the Government could make arrangements for stricter rules and regulation to govern the treatment of our livestock being shipped to Indonesia for slaughter.
Perhaps naively, many of us presumed the issue had been ‘fixed’. We presumed that Australian livestock would now be slaughtered humanely and with dignity in Indonesia and in other countries to where our animals were exported.
We were so wrong.
Animal rights activists are calling for a live exports ban.
A 4 Corners follow up, which aired last night investigated the events surrounding the absolutely horrific culling of 21,000 sheep in Pakistan. Video footage showed hundreds of sheep having their throats sawed crudely and mercilessly and then tossed into deep pits – many of them still alive.
The graphic images leave no doubt that those animals endured a terrifying ordeal and slow and agonising deaths. You can view the 4 Corners program in full here. Please be warned that the video is extremely distressing and you will never forget the images of those poor animals being tortured.
The story of how thousands of Australian sheep came to be in Pakistan in the first place (a country with whom Australia does not have a pre-existing live export relationship) and how the Government was unable to prevent their slaughter, is a complex one.
WILL OCKENDEN (reporter): The shipment of Australian sheep was originally destined for Bahrain. When the country rejected them, claiming they were diseased, the animals were stranded in the Persian Gulf. Eventually, a home for the sheep was found in Pakistan, but that’s where the problems started.
EXCERPT FROM TELEVISION REPORT: Australian sheep infected with scabby mouth disease have made their way into the metropolis.
WILL OCKENDEN: The local government in Karachi wanted to know why it wasn’t told the sheep had been previously rejected in Bahrain. Thousands of the sheep were culled, before a legal challenge temporarily stopped it.
But even after a series of scientific tests showed the sheep were healthy, and after high-level government, industry and diplomatic involvement, the flock remaining was eventually brutally slaughtered.
WILL OCKENDEN: Australia’s Department of Agriculture, and senior bureaucrat Phillip Glyde, is now facing questions into the Pakistani shipment.
Government officials and the Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig spoke to 4 Corners last night but were unable to provide the guarantee the Australian public so desperately wants – that something will be done to stop this ever happening again.
Joe Ludwig
JOE LUDWIG: This industry was completely deregulated. We wouldn’t have even understood some of the circumstances that occurred in this particular market.
KERRY O’BRIEN: Yeah but we’re talking about now.
JOE LUDWIG: Absolutely. What we have put in place is a supply chain that ensures animal welfare at the heart.
KERRY O’BRIEN: But it didn’t. It didn’t.
JOE LUDWIG: What I’ve always said, what I’ve always said, what I’ve always said right at the start of this is that there would always be circumstances, there would be mistakes, there would be slips.
A study into the temporary live export ban in June 2011 revealed that it cost ore than 300 Australian jobs and had a ‘negative financial impact on 58 per cent of affected farmers’. Dynamic Export reports:
The report, shown to The Australian, said of 596,000 cows earmarked for export to Indonesia this year, 365,000 animals remained unsold.
Despite the lift of the ban more than three weeks ago, no beef exporter has been issued with a permit to export animals in adherance with strict new standards guaranteeing animal welfare.
The majority of jobs lost were in the Northern Territory. Businesses across the territory, Western Australia and Queensland reported having to reduce their engagement of contractors and musterers.
Despite declining to speak to the ABC’s 4 Corners program, Wellard, the exporters involved in the slaughter of Australian sheep in Pakistan have taken to youtube to defend their position. (NB: This video also contains distressing imagery).
The range of competing interests at play here, all have strong (and understandable) points of view.
We live in the ‘Asian Century’, our politicians tell us and there is a huge demand in our immediate region for Australian meat. And with the most populous Muslim country on the planet – Indonesia – sitting right on our doorstep, live exports will always be a lucrative business for our farmers.
Muslim nations around the world will only eat Halal meat and that means that animals do have to be killed in a particular way and specific prayers said at the time of death (none of these religious elements involve cruelty or unnecessary pain to the animal). If they can’t get meat in the form they require it from Australia, they will take their business elsewhere.
And of course, animal rights activists, along with huge numbers in the community, are (quite rightly) outraged and horrified at the heartbreaking images 4 Corners revealed to us last night. When Australia lets animals leave the country while still alive, despite Government rules and regulations, we do relinquish a large element of control over how the animals will be treated prior to slaughter.
Australian farmers are fierce advocates for the health and fair treatment of their animals – they don’t want to see them treated cruelly. But at the same time, a ban on live exports would devastate their livelihoods, as evidenced by the experience under the temporary ban last year.
So, what comes next is anyone’s guess.
Loading ...Did you watch 4 Corners last night? Do you support a ban on live exports? What’s more important, the humane and ethical treatment of Australian animals or the potential cost to farmers if live exports are banned?
Comments
103 Comments so far
We already have a strong chilled/frozen meat export trade in Aust but the reason it hasn’t (and can’t) completely replace live exports is because they go to two very distinct markets. Fresh meat is bought by those who don’t have access to refrigeration (generally the poorest people in Asia and the Middle East) while boxed/chilled meat goes to restaurants, high end supermarkets etc. Only around 15% of Indonesian homes have a fridge, so they buy fresh meat and store it in meat safes: it lasts much longer than frozen/chilled meat does when not refrigerated.
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A very important point missing from this debate is the fact that Australia is THE ONLY country, of the more than 100 countries across the world that export livestock, that actively works in the countries it exports to, to help improve animal welfare. It’s also the only country that regulates the system from the paddocks in Australia all the way to the point of processing overseas.
If Australia was to stop exporting livestock, the countries that we currently export to wouldn’t switch to boxed/chilled meat – they’d simply seek live animals from other countries. We saw this in 2007. Australia couldn’t meet the Middle East’s demand for live animals, so they simply starting importing them from other countries – countries like Somalia, Iran and Sudan. Countries that do not share Australia’s strong commitment to animal welfare, and critically, may also pose disease risks to Australia and other countries through such diseases as food and mouth disease.
The simple fact is: if Australia was to stop exporting livestock, animal welfare conditions overseas would decline. The industry’s committed to improving animal welfare and the supply chain assurance system is working: in Indonesia, stunning rates in abattoirs have jumped from 15% last year to over 80% this year under the new system.
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That is good news regarding Indonesia, however I still can’t accept the rest of your argument. It reminds me of the climate change mitigation argument – the “why should we mitigate here when our emissions as a nation are less than x,y,z countries”. I feel it is missing the point to say we should not ban live exports of stock just because other countries with even worse welfare standards would move to fill the gap. Australia’s animal welfare standards are not strong – they only look comparatively good compared to developing countries. We need to be accountable for our actions as a nation on their own merit (or lack of). There is nothing to stop Australia banning live export but still start/continue engaging with other countries to improve their animal welfare. It is not either/or.
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With a name like Farmer Fred, shouldn’t you know better? Or is animal brutality and industry criminality “commercial in confidence?”
http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/article/revealed-the-real-conditions-on-live-export-ships/
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Also worth adding that there is more to supporting rural Australian communities than ‘farmers’ (producers). For example, the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union is strongly opposed to live export, because processing meat here in Australia creates much-needed jobs in rural and remote communities …
Check out http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201108/s3290010.htm
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Why is it that the Farmers are such a protected species in Australia? These farmers who refuse to modernize deserve to be left behind. 200 years ago we traded in slave labour, but we evolved and realized this was not the way of an enlightened society. Cruel and barbaric animal trades have no place in today’s society nor economy. Farmers need to evolve, move to free range, phase out live export – get with the times or retire and get into another industry.
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It’s time australia put our foot down and said no more live exports. We can butcher the meat humanely by Halal standards here and export it frozen.
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I think people have missed the point. The countries we export our meat to are not equipped with the refrigeration required for processed frozen meat. Until that changes the only way we can service our export customers is to provide live animals. The focus should be on improving their practices in a cost effective way. The governments response to this issue was driven by polls rather than the best result for the livestock, our relationships with our Asian neighbors and the sustainability of the sheep and cattle industry. Good governments respond by canvassing all affected parties and making a considered response. This response was a text book example of what not to do. Policy by twittersphere helps no one including the animals.
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Export Joe Ludwig
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I feel so much on this issue I can only manage short sentences:
- Thank you Mamamia for doing an article on an animal welfare issue. Another good choice today – and I don’t mean this sarcastically – would have been horse racing.
- Agree 100% that live export needs to be ceased. I would extend this to meat farming in general though.
- I have worked in an industry dealing with farmers and there’s a lot of really lovely ones, but if I have to hear one more meat farmer say they care about the welfare of their animals I may break down hysterically. You cannot entirely care about the welfare of something if you are killing it for human benefit. This is actually impossible.
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I’m a beef producer & I care for the welfare of my animals. You can care for an animal. Kill it quickly & cleanly and appreciate it on an entirely new way enjoying nutritious meals.
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If you truly care for an animal, not for the profit you can make from it but for it’s value as a living creature, you could not allow it to be killed and appreciated as a nutritious meal!. I care for my dog and would never allow a finger to be laid on her. Farmers care for their animals similarly to how much I care for my work computer. It/they are a means to earning an income.
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de beers, it is great to hear that you care for your animals’ welfare while they are alive. I know many other farmers feel this way too. However we will just have to agree to disagree as I just can’t reconcile in my mind that a person can kill and eat something you care for. I could no less do this to an animal than I could to a child.
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Hi Mamamia, great to see a story with plenty of balance and an effort to show both sides of the story.
I’m really pleased you put in figures about the financial and social impact of the farmers who were affected by this.
It is far too easy to be carried away by graphic photos and not see the full picture.
No matter your choices on consuming meat or being vegan, you still need a farmer to produce your food.
The same farmer can often grow organic vegetables, soybeans, sheep and cattle.
Calling for a end to live exports and putting a farmer out of business affects much more of your grocery shop than just the meat section.
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Hi Mamamia, great to see a story with plenty of balance and an effort to show both sides of the story.
I’m really pleased you put in figures about the financial and social impact of the farmers who were affected by this.
It is far too easy to be carried away by graphic photos and not see the full picture.
No matter your choices on consuming meat or being vegan, you still need a farmer to produce your food.
The same farmer can often grow organic vegetables, soybeans, sheep and cattle.
Putting a farmer out of business affects much more of your grocery shop than just the meat section.
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What is the full picture then?
That Australian farmers are more concerned with profits rather than ethics?
Would you ask people to support sweatshops that have their industry built on the backbone of child slave labour?
Many Aussie farmers make a great living without live export.
Any Australian farmer that takes part in live export does not care about their livestock and has questionable ethics.
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Roll out the incorrect clichés of profits before ethics & then the even bigger one about slavery.
But then to say that farmers make a great living. Rubbish! The percentage return on investment in farming operations is very low
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I’m a card carrying PETA member, letter writing, vegan pain in the arse and this is why ! Its so disturbing that a human can treat another being like this, sheep, cow, cat, dog, turtle I don’t care what it is it’s vile.
Where is the respect for the thing giving its life so you can eat ? I think there needs to be some education in these countries if we continue to export as to the treatment of animals and what is acceptable.
And I disagree with anyone who says you need meat, I’m a diabetic vegan and im doing better than when ate meat there are many healthier options.
If some one did this to your beloved the pet what would be the consequence ? And before anyone jumps on me about it being a different matter, it’s not, they all feel the same fear and pain and deserve the same respect
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Long-time reader, first time commenter, last time visiting; Where is the moderation on this post? I’ve only bothered to read first page but the way you’ve allowed farmers to be defamed & attacked is revolting. If it was any other group, it would be unacceptable. Bye bye.
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I don’t accept animal cruelty. We are collectively responsible for their well being. I don’t accept that this is an okay source of revenue. Please SOMEBODY STOP THIS. I find it so upsetting. I find it upsetting that public outcry has been largely ignored by our politicians. I do eat meat – but I DONT ACCEPT THIS! I don’t want my roads to be paid for with taxes coming from animal abuse.
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There ctually s debate in Muslim countries as to whether an animal can be stunned before it has its throat cut or not. In Indonesian catle abbotoirs the catle are suppose to be stunned
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They are supposed to, but a large number are not. In many cases the stun gun may render the animal paralyzed or partially paralyzed, but still able to feel pain. Many slaughterers are inexperienced and do not carry out the “halal” killing properly, which means many cows/pigs are often fully conscience and bleed to death for several minutes or more. There are also many cruel, violent workers in slaughterhouses that delight in torturing these animals buy breaking their tails, stepping on them, and beating them. Regulations on paper look good, but are too often ignored.
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Exactly, but if there are Muslim countries, like Indonesia, that legally allow catle to be stunned before killing then why do we have to export live cattle to them? Surely they can be killed in the same manner here. We ensure its carried out properly and we keep the jobs.
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Couple of really important points to make here …
Sheep and beef meat exports are worth seven times more to the economy than live exports.
When Australia’s live export industry stopped exporting animals to Egypt during 2007 as a result of the public outcry about the cruel treatment documented by animal welfare investigators, these animals were not replaced by animals from other countries. Instead, Egypt increased its imports of chilled meat, resulting in a significant reduction of animal suffering in the country
I don’t think anyone is suggesting an immediate and total ban on live exports, but rather, a committed phase out that will allow producers time to develop other income streams and manage the change. This will avoid the losses that result from a sudden and unforeseen freeze on live exports – which is what happened with Indonesia and which is what will keep happening every time one of these horrible incidents is revealed, again and again, and again.
Fact: All countries that currently accept live animals from Australia also accept chilled or frozen meat from animals that have been humanely slaughtered here. Live exports are actually cannibalising the value-added exports of meat in these markets.
Really good fact sheet in plain English here, if you’re interested in reading more:
http://www.rspca.org.au/how-you-can-help/campaigns/ban-live-export/live-export-facts.html
The end of live export is, I think, inevitable. Change is inevitable in many industries, as technology, standards and consumer expectations shift. If I was a smart farmer, I’d be finding other – better – ways to earn my living, and quick smart.
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TDMJ, I find it interesting that you have suggested that farmer’s find “other – better – ways to earn my living, and quick smart.” Why do you believe that farmers need to do this, rather than have the Australian government together with meat export and trade companies and agricultural commissions, upgrade slaughter facilities to be able to handle all Australian livestock onshore- eliminating the need for live export and creating jobs.
Furthermore, there needs to be an increase in and better understanding of other cultures and religions and what they require for their meat to be ‘safe. eg. We need to have the facilites and trained staff to be able to provide halal and kosher meat to export markets, without live export.
Just a thought.
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Hi Peggy – actually, these facilities do already exist, very much so! I haven’t worked in the industry for a few years but at last check (circa 2006), I recall there were 123 abattoirs in Australia that were Halal-certified and producing meat for Muslim markets here and overseas
So you’re spot on.
No doubt these facilities/staff/training etc could use some extra investment, but as indicated above, live exports are cannibalising our meat trade and my personal feeling is that while live exports continue, there won’t be the incentive needed to invest. Ending the trade could provide just that incentive.
TDMJ.
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Australian Farmers have been making a living on out and out cruelty for years. What type of people are they? They knowingly put their Animals through this, time and time again. I am 57 and as far back as i can remember seeing images of livestock dying from lack of water in our drought ridden country. Its was quite obvious to me as a child Australia did not have the climate for raising Animals. Its time to put COMPASSION OVER PROFIT. Whatever the outcome for Australia. It is Animal Cruelty. No Living being should be treated in this horrific manner. The travel alone for these poor animals is bad enough to stop Live exports. That is directly linked to Australia. We now know without doubt we have no control over what happens in other countries. This is not a hiccup in the system. The System of LIve Animal Exports must Stop Now.. Animal cruelty is not on at any level. Julie watson
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As a sheep farmer and someone who works in the area of agricultural training I can promise you that many parts of Australia are not drought ridden with starving thirsty animals. It is completely untrue to say that Australia does not have the climate to raise animals.
My family are wool/lamb producers and take the welfare of our animals very seriously and do not export live animals overseas. The product we produce is sustainable and natural and it’s a pity more
people don’t wear/use it more rather than the synthetic throwaway items that everyone seems to buy these days.
Please don’t lump all farmers in the same basket, and kindly do us the courtesy of remembering where your food and clothing come from, these products don’t appear out thin air you know.
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Kudos to you for rejecting live exports. I come from a wheat/sheep family and know that most farmers look after their animals well.
But I also know that most wash their hands of sheep welfare at the farm gate, and perhaps they shouldn’t. Perhaps they should pay more attention to how sheep are transported and how they are slaughtered.
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There are those of us that try to source our clothing/fabric and foods from Australian sources. It’s just very hard to compete against cheaper goods.
I agree with anon below that more attention should be paid to how animals are transported and slaughtered.
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Julie, so you think Australia has too harsh a climate for animals? What do you think Australia was like before white settlement? It was covered with native animals. And if farming were abandoned the landscape would refill with native and feral animals. And in hard times, which are part of Australian climate, those animals would starve and often die. That is how nature works. That is how life evolved on this planet. Creatures live where they can, opportunistically, and when the resources fail, those creatures die. Animals on farms have a greater chance of being fed and in good health through their lives than wild animals in a natural environment.
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Thank you SO MUCH for writing this article and for keeping everyone informed. Poor bloody animals, poor damn creatures, my heart breaks, I just want to cry at these live trade exporters. Why are they putting money above basic care and compassion?!?!?!?
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We need to be able to process the meat here, package it and then export to Indonesia, Pakistan etc. Exactly how we process other meats into other countries. However, Muslim faith dictates that they are the only ones allowed to process their meat as it has too be killed in a particular way. The animal is required to be conscious when it’s throat is cut, we stun the animals so they’re unconscious. (I was surprised to learn that not many people knew that…) Therefore, nobody else can process it and this is the problem. And personally, how can people eat meat when it has been killed like that? I could not, it’s just brutally repugnant.
Aussie beef producers are furious and disgusted by what they see, and while they want to condition’s to improve, they have to oppose an entire ban, as it would devastate their lives. If we were to stop our business with these nations they would find cattle elsewhere, like Brazil. Australia’s problem is that we care about our animals, and while that’s a respectable attribute, what we don’t realise is that other people and other countries around the world, simply don’t care about how their animals are slaughtered. Personally, it’s what makes us a better nation really, but that being said however, we can’t simply put an entire ban on live exports. For some reason people just can’t grasp how devastating this would be for not only the cattle producers but rural towns in general, along with country businesses and then it would have a flow on effect to the cities. Ultimately Australia would be an in serious economic and social strife if an entire ban was to occur. Our Ministers need to sit down with these Government’s and work it out and if they can’t come to a resolution or reasonably compromise, the public needs to decide what to do and act on it.
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There is lots of stuff about this whole issue that I just don’t get. Like how huge is the live animal export market – it must be humungous for our Federal Government to be so accommodating in the face of such loud protestation. How come NZ could ban live export without facing economic collapse? Placing control of the animals “within the supply chain” in the hands of the industry that stands to benefit most? The lunatics are running the asylum. None of the Australian exporters can be held responsible for what happens to these poor creatures once they land on foreign soil, so it’s pointless for our Federal Government to introduce reforms along those lines. The only way we can be sure that these sheep, cattle and goats are humanely slaughtered is for it to occur here in Australia where we are able to enforce regulations and apply penalties. I refuse to vote for anyone who supports live animal export.
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Comparisons between livestock farming in NZ and Australia are so misguided it’s laughable. Have you looked at a map lately to gauge the size of these two nations? Have you looked at the weather forecast lately to get a sense of the different climates of these two nations – and therefore the different breeds of stock and the different farming methods needed for them to live? These are just TWO of MILLIONS of factors which make the comparison void.
And by the way – NZ do still live export breeder cattle.
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“There is lots of stuff about this whole issue that I just don’t get. Like how huge is the live animal export market?”
I have some numbers for you if you would like.
Australian farmers export 60% of what they grow and produce which is worth 32.5 billion (before and value adding activity- if that is counted it is 155 billion or 12% of our GDP). They produce enough food to feed 60 million people per year. Ten billion of that is from animal exports in total.
We have 134,000 farming businesses and 99% of them are family owned and they directly employ 307,000 people but if you take into account the whole supply chain there are 1.6 million people that rely on the farming industry.
There is a big cross over between livestock and crop farmers because livestock and crop intergration (where they alternate between cropping and livestock on the land year by year) makes cropping more sustainable and helps protect the soil from degradation. So people raising livestock and those growing crops are not mutually exclusive groups and a ban would have an effect on a large chunk of farmers and their reliant parts of the supply chain.
So, to answer your question, it is bloody huge.
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Those figures are misleading Neeks. The figure of 134,000 farming businesses includes flower farms, vegetable farms, vineyards and others that have nothing to do with this issue. And while 99% of them might be family owned, they don’t generate 99% of the revenue.
As you probably know, corporate owners of farms generate a significant and rapidly growing part of the business. Indeed some are owned by Middle Eastern countries. So the argument that live exports must be allowed in order to support family farms is dodgy.
Secondly, a live export ban would not deprive farms of income. They can still sell to domestic markets, and cereal growers have other options for crop rotation.
Thirdly, it’s a weak argument anyway. Tobacco growers had to adapt to restrictions on smoking. Grape growers had to adjust to market gluts. Cereal growers are actually better equipped than most, because their businesses are diverse.
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Sorry if you found that misleading but I wasn’t stating that they were all export farmers. For the record as of 2010 flowers, vegetable farms and vineyards employed 63,000 and a further 10,000 in wine manufacturing of our 307,000 directly employed people in agriculture. My point was the size of our primary production and the large number of people that rely on the agriculture industy, including the 60 million people worldwide we produce food for. There are a surprising amount of people that don’t “give a shit” about farmers.
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Those are some pretty big and impressive numbers but as Anon says they seem to be a bit misleading. I am not sure where your numbers come from but, according to the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics (ABARE), in 2006 live animal exports accounted for just 6% of total cattle production and only 15% of total sheep production. In 2007, there were 4.1 million sheep exported, valued at $290 million – just 7% of total cash receipts for sheep farmers. Even if the numbers have mushroomed in the last six years, I’d be astonished if exporting live animals represented such a large proportion of Australian exports that our Government feels compelled to continue to allow a barbaric industry to continue in the face of such overwhelming public opposition. Cynical me thinks that it’s as much to do with which countries import our cattle and sheep as it is pandering to the political clout of a small Australian industry.
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“There is lots of stuff about this whole issue that I just don’t get. Like how huge is the live animal export market?”
I have some numbers for you if you would like.
Australian farmers export 60% of what they grow and produce which is worth 32.5 billion (before and value adding activity- if that is counted it is 155 billion or 12% of our GDP). They produce enough food to feed 60 million people per year. Ten billion of that is from animal exports in total.
We have 134,000 farming businesses and 99% of them are family owned and they directly employ 307,000 people but if you take into account the whole supply chain there are 1.6 million people that rely on the farming industry.
There is a big cross over between livestock and crop farmers because livestock and crop intergration (where they alternate between cropping and livestock on the land year by year) makes cropping more sustainable and helps protect the soil from degradation. So people raising livestock and those growing crops are not mutually exclusive groups and a ban would have an effect on a large chunk of farmers and their reliant parts of the supply chain.
So, to answer your question, it is bloody huge.
(Sorry if this is a double post)
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The 33-year-old carpenter has currently been named amid Victoria’s five hottest tradies, inside a competitors ‘ run by dating web site RSVP.
"I’m a bit spun out by it all. I’ve never really thought much about how I look," Mr Zabieglik said.
"I’m pretty nervous about it. I’m usually pretty shy."
Mr Zabieglik said he was surprised to have received so many votes, and said his profession didn’t make it easy to meet women.
"I’m single at the moment. I don’t meet many women through work, so it’s only by chance that I might meet someone," he said. "It’s nice to know that some women have voted for me."
The Cairnlea resident said he wasn’t surprised women found tradies attractive.
"Tradies are usually pretty fit and they can build things and they’re good with their hands," he said.
"With my work I don’t need to go to the gym. Most days it’s like doing a massive workout anyway."
The state’s hottest tradie will be announced tonight at the New Bay Hotel in Brighton. The winner will be flown to Sydney for the grand final on February 24.
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Sadly, the bottom line for cattle producers is money.
They’ve made the choice to earn a living from the death of animals.
The bottom line for vegetarians is that the animals are killed.
I’ve been a vegetarian for 25 years and for me, it’s about choosing NOT to be part of a cycle of cruelty & death.
I’m not a “nutjob” either (no matter how much more convenient it would be to validate those critic’s arguments.)…….I’ve simply made a philosophical choice years ago and followed it through .
Most of the people in my life (family, friends etc) are NOT vegetarians but if I cook for them I buy organic free-range….it’s not my place to “guilt-trip” them into doing what I do.
People have to keep up the discussions and look for kinder solutions when dealing with other animals.
I would ban LIVE ANIMAL EXPORTS long enough to send a clear message to offending countries about the unethical treatment of animals.
Our world has to keep evolving into a kinder place otherwise our future will be badly affected.
As many have said – we’ve all had to adapt our lives, skills , educations and attitudes to accommodate the coming changes in the world of commerce – kindness to animals is part of the journey.
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Caz, if you think for one second banning live export to “teach those countries a lesson” is going to make a difference, I am afraid you are not well informed on how the market works. These countries generally buy from Australia because we do treat our animals humanely and they are often in very good condition. As soon as Australia pulls out of the market another exporting country would gladly step in – Brazil for example. There is no lesson learnt. Australian livestock producers pay a levy on all stock sold which goes towards Australian stockmen travelling abroad to educate these importers on humane killing practices. The thing is these other exporting countries do not have the same educational programs Australian stockmen provide. So by banning live export you are in fact preventing Australians from having any influences over the way animals are killed. There will still be just as many cattle and sheep being slaughtered in an inhumane way, just from a different country which does not seek to influence the killing practices of these countries (unlike Australia). If you only care about Australian animals, I suppose that is a solution. But if you care about all animals you will recognise that pulling out is possibly the worst possible thing Australia could do.
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What happened with Pakistan was wrong – no argument. Even my Indonesian co-workers are horrified by what happened in Pakistan.
Yet the world is a big place. Exporters can choose not to supply a country with adequate standards – as Wellards have now done.
It takes time to set-up a comprehensive system, and the industry is the in process of refining that system. Can Australia afford to become insular while attempting to create ties with Asia?
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And just how much time is needed?
The Live export industry has had plenty of time, and still the industry is so cruel and horrid that a huge number of Australians want it to end.
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Simply banning live exports sounds so easy but in reality it’s not.
My dad is a fourth generation farmer and I’m damn proud of him. He works long hours, getting up and leaving the house in the dark and then not returning until after sunset. This is what he has done for the past 35 years. All this just to put food on the table, a roof over our heads and ensure that his four kids were able to pursue good educations. He works himself to the absolute bone and is now at an age where many city folk would be thinking of retiring and living out the rest of their lives as a grey nomad. But not my dad.
Last year’s ban on cattle exports to Indonesia was really quite daunting for so many of our fellow farmers out there. It’s like going to work and being told that ‘sorry but we can’t pay your your salary this week. Actually we are not sure if we can pay you next week or the week after or even the week after that’. Then you are faced with no choice by to continue working, without pay, whilst those bills just keep on piling up. There’s not end in sight. That is what it was like. Working and working with no income on the horizon and no letting up of the bills.
We have sold sheep to live export before and will likely do so again in the future. It’s our livelihood. People also don’t understand that by negatively affecting farmers, it creates a ripple effect throughout society. Business owners in country towns will be affected and most likely shut down, country towns will become ghost towns as people flood to the city to look for opportunities. More people will also become reliant on government benefits, putting further strain on the already strained system.
I’m not denying that the conditions of live export aren’t satisfactory but I’m arguing that if any change is to occur then we need to consider the farmers as a priority. That’s right, think of your fellow Australians! Without them, Australia would be nothing.
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Those poor farmers.
Sorry, but I have zero sympathy for anyone who profits from animal cruelty/exploitation. None.
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I’m not asking for your sympathy. I’m asking for your understanding.
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I doubt you will get that from Diana. But you’ve got both my sympathy and understanding.
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I am actually very understanding and compassionate wihen it comes to a wide range of issues, people and circumstances.
As a person who is, believe it or not, quite soft-hearted, if I met the farmer in question and saw him cry I would feel for him on a human level.
But I fail to grasp how it’s a “sudden issue of survival” which somehow justifies the decades-long exploitation of animals. This didn’t happen overnight.
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You’ll not get any compassion or understanding from some people on this issue, particularly those misguided individuals who put the welfare of animals before people.
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The Australian public is fast losing patience with the whole industry of live export. Rather than farmers seeking the understanding of the public here is an idea. Get angry at the inept and useless creatures than “manage” live export. They take $5 per beast and the best they can do is deliver a shiity industry that is embedded with animal cruelty.
Insist on change within your industry, starting with leadership.
Maybe some of the millions of dollars could go to establishing aus owned slaughter houses overseas. Ones that would meet our standards. Just an idea.
Training and education could actually occur (there are claims of this but I’m yet to see proof).
Lobby to have the conditions on ships improved, get angry and get busy.
If the industry does not change, live export will be dead and most Australians just won’t care about farmers. Australians have been proud of their farming heritage. This will change if the industry of live export does not.
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AJ my Dad worked just as hard as that and died after only 5 years of retirement. He wasn’t a farmer.
Australian workers are all invaluable. Farmers aren’t the only ones contributing.
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The tender concern of the farming sector for animals takes a jolt when you see things like http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/warwick-rodeo-cruelty.
The largest rodeo in the country and they don’t have a vet on duty because there is no legal requirement to do so. No wonder he city folk are getting cross.
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When we can start humanely slaughtering our own livestock here then maybe we will be in a position to advocate it elsewhere.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/covert-evidence-of-cruelty-halts-abattoir-20120209-1rx7w.html
This was absolutely horrific, they were shut down for a very short time, fined ONLY $5000 and CCTV cameras were installed.
Where was the outrage here?
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The apologists for farmers says farmers care about animals but they also need the money because their life is so hard. Farmers chose their life style; animals don’t. And the apologists do not say which consideration trumps the other when they cannot both be satisfied.
American farmers can land fruit in Australia which competes with ours. While wage rates are lower, America isn’t a third world country. Yet. While live exports are the easy way out, the easy way out will be taken. But can’t we value add sufficiently and sell the the growing middle overseas classes on quality, like Australian wine? And Australian education exports? Or aren’t we really that clever?
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Australian wine is probably not a great example. There has been a glut of wineries springing up as big companies bought up land in wine growing areas and planted too much, too quickly creating a glut, which of course devalued the whole industry. All done partly because our wines (and NZs) had done so well. With the result that vineyards have had to pull vines, sell the land off and close down/sell off companies or parts of.
My husbands employer is one of these big companies and their foolishness cost them a lot of money and apparently they weren’t alone.
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Vegetarian nut job here:(disclaimer)
I lived on a cattle farm when I was younger and all my uncles were or are still farmers. We have halal meat available here ergo there are already abattoirs which are halal certified here in Australia. If certain prayers must be said before killing the poor beasts then can’t we arrange it here? Couldn’t the countries which currently receive our live exports send reps here to make sure it is all halal/kosher/whatever it has to be? It must be easier to send meat in cold storage than tens of thousands of scared, hot, stressed, shitting, pissing animals on a ship, surely?
Oh, and meat eaters by the way, try eating organic because that way you know that the animals are treated properly and humanely all of their lives as well as being antibiotic and hormone free. If it’s more expensive, eat less of it, you don’t need much animal protein to survive. Watch your waistlines shrink and your cholesterol go down too. You’re welcome
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Just cos it’s organic doesn’t mean it’s humane. It just means no chemicals. Non organic farmers treat their animals in no better or worse manner than organic farmers.
The whole point of live export is because they can get fresh produce that they would otherwise be unable to obtain. Slaughtering cattle here does not achieve that. Additionally, if we were going to slaughter all animals in Australia we would need more regional abattoirs. Currently the northern most Abs are Townsville and Perth. This means LOTS of extra travel for many animals, on trucks where they have to stand for long periods. Many of the regional abs shut down before live export started because they had trouble keeping a workforce in a regional area, could not work during the wet season, had union action, fires, cyclones and drought.
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If I am buying meat, I’d like to know that if the animals got sick they’d be given medicine to help them, and vaccinated to protect them from getting sick with some things in the first place.
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While I agreed with your first paragraph, your second one was somewhat smug and condescending. Especially your last sentenc.
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With this comment I am not defending any of the treatment above but hope to offer some insight into why some farmers take part in live export. I grew up on a wheat and sheep farm.
Farmers are paid considerably more per head to export their stock live, much, much more than they would be paid for keeping the animals in Australia. Many producers farm a combination of grain and livestock and the income from live export can often be a financial saviour during years when crops fail. A large number of farmers have massive amounts of debt after several years of failed crops (we had a series of years that had a locust plague, a drought, a flood and a tornado that flattened crops).
The money from live export can be the difference between making repayments to the bank and losing the family farm. I object to the comparison between losing a farm and losing your job. When you lose a family farm everybody in the family loses their jobs as well as any workers. In addition, you lose the family home because it is part of the farm. The farms are often handed down through the generations so these farms can be 100 years old, built by the hands of your great, great grandfather. You lose decades of careful breeding. Farmers often know nothing else. They start working on the farms as children and if they finish school it is usually at an agriculture college. For instance, my father lived until 50 in the same house he was born in. Can you imagine spending fifty years of your life working on the same thing? I work in the city as an adult and the gravity of me losing my job is in no way comparable to losing a farm.
Also, if live export was banned tomorrow, what do you think would happen to all the sheep that have been bred to be exported? Where would they go? They would be slaughtered. The cruelty above is not acceptable to anybody but I think a better solution needs to be thought of than screaming BAN! If we stop live export we need to dramatically down size part of our economy. We produce far too many sheep to keep them all in Australia. If you were to ban live exports it could not be done overnight but phased out gradually for purely practical reasons.
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I’m confused, so we export live stock to Muslim nations who need their meat to be Halal before they consume it? then why are they treating the animals so inhumanely, when Halal is meant to be cruelty free treatment of these animals?
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Even for the most religious people, money generally triumphs.
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Halal is not “cruelty free.” It requires that the animal be conscious when its throat is cut.
Western practice is to stun the animals so they’re unconscious when this happens.
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This is bound to bring out the vegetarian nut jobs.
No, live exports should not be banned, the farming sector needs the income and people over there need the food. They are not going to be ok eating lentils and chick peas, they need animal protein.
City people with no concept of country life will be the ruin of the farming community if their crazy ideas are allowed to flourish. It’s a fact of life that killing an animal will involve blood, get over it. We cannot put the welfare of animals over and above the needs of humans.
However, the live exports should only be conducted with countries that have acceptable slaughter tequniques, if only to shut up the city kids who have no idea where their food comers from.
As for these particular sheep going to the middle east, they don’t have scabby mouth at all, Australian sheep are not infected with it, so there is some other agenda in these middle eastern countries to periodically reject sheep as being unhealthy.
Australia is a food exporter, and we must remain a food exporter for our long term good. Simply telling people to stop farming is a childish and shot sighted view of the problem.
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“Australia is a food exporter, and we must remain a food exporter for our long term good. Simply telling people to stop farming is a childish and shot sighted view of the problem.”
Who exactly is suggesting that?
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Actually, both economists and the UN have expressed concerns about real food shortages in the near future. So yes it is in our best interest to continue to export and produce food. Just in case you aren’t aware food is a “basic” need – and if you stop farmers where exactly are you going to get your food, or majority of people going to get their food from? And you are forgetting a lot of other nations rely on Australian exports for food – so we should just say “stuff them” and trade wine instead? Good idea…
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There are 134,000 Australian farmers who produce food for 600 people each per year which is 150 people in Australia and 450 people overseas. The reality is we produce food for 60million people outside of Australia. Many of these markets are in densely populated poor countries that do not have the space or means to produce enough food for their population.
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And accusing us ‘city folk’ of not knowing where our food comes from, as if you are so superior, is not helpful either. If you want to live your life using animals to make income, treat them humanely. And show me some respect, as you need my dollar to pay you for them. It’s the city folk who keep an eye on you rural folk and make sure you don’t forget that animals are just more than a means to make a living!
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“show me some respect, as you need my dollar to pay you for them.”
That argument runs both ways. It is rather a codependent relationship. I would be interested to know where you would get your food from otherwise?
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umm, vegetables?
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Most fertilizers including organic are made from animal or fish products. So there are animals in your vegetables so to speak. And for the record I’m not trying to excuse cruelty I just object to painting farmers with such a broad brush.
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News flash! We don’t need you to do that for us. We’ve been doing it ourselves for hundreds of years (in Australia, and thousands of years across the world), just fine thanks. Pretty sure you wouldn’t even know where to start if you came out to give it a go.
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I’m a vegan. And I don’t give a shit about sob stories from farmers/country folk.
Animal cruelty is unacceptable. End of.
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A lot of the food that vegans eat is grown on mixed farms – farms which grow both crops and livestock. Livestock make farming systems more effective and sustainable. For example, organic farming is fertilized with animal manure. If farmers were not able to grow enough crops, and there were food shortages (which could easily happen and are quite likely in the future) then everyone, including vegans, would start to care very much about farming.
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It is not ‘city people’ who are horrified here, it is far more than that. I would imagine that ‘country folk’ who have worked closely with animals all their lives and are aware enough of their ability to feel emotion and pain, and to demonstrate intelligence, are more likely to find this whole trade abhorrent. People do care where their food comes from and are increasingly educated about it – even in the city – and this is why so many are so horrified. As to ‘some other agenda in these middle eastern countries’, a major part of the problem was the Australian company who did an underhanded deal to get the sheep to Pakistan without disclosing that they had been rejected, causing the Pakistan government to lose face. What was done was horrific but to suggest the Australian government and industry has been completely innocent in this case (and pretty much every other example of inhumane treatment of our export animals) is entirely disingenuous.
And just to clarify my ‘qualifications’ here, I grew up in a rural area, worked on a sheep farm that also bred cattle and now live in the city. I am entirely aware of where my food comes from.
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I agree live exports should be banned, but my reasons are not as simple as the animal cruelty issues. Yes, these issues are huge and terrible, but I believe that Australia needs to change how we export in general.
Right now Australia exports a hell of a lot of raw materials. From live animals to minerals dug out of the ground. Then we re-import a lot of those materials in a value added state. I was shocked and horrified to find my specially selected Australian timber bed frame (from new growth forests) was actually made in Thailand. Yes we shipped trees to Thailand and imported it as a bed.
If we are going to future proof our economy we need to start value-adding here. Slaughtering and processing meat is value adding. I know that various countries want live animals for a variety of reasons but if all they had access to was processed meat, I’m sure we would still find a market.
Likewise I can’t believe we ship wool when cloth is worth hundreds of percent more. Etc, etc. People will say it relates to labour costs, but with new smart systems we could compete. Countries like Germany do. It is just that no government here is prepared to put in that investment. They want the private sector to do it and the private sector is just going to continue doing what makes the best financial sense, which for now is shipping off raw goods.
My partner believes we should have increased taxes on raw exports and less taxes on processed goods. I don’t know if that would work, but I am sure that if Australia is going to have a good economy in the long run we need to change our attitudes to exports.
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Best comment yet. Like another commenter said above, we should probably phase it in however, to give others time to adjust.
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It has to stop. If any farmer that exports their animals can themselves go into their paddock right now and use a hacksaw to slaughter their own sheep, if they are happy to torture their own livestock to death, then I will listen to you.
But I highly doubt any farmer could do that, I doubt any farmer could spend a night in an abattoir in Pakistan or Indonesia and watch what happens there.
Why can’t livestock be slaughtered here? In Ireland animals that are slaughtered for the halal market overseas are slaughtered by Muslims who have been brought over especially to this.
Why can’t we do this over here? Wouldn’t that provide jobs?
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We will not import people to do jobs that Australians won’t do. Gina Reinhardt suggested that and was criticised from pillar to post.
The other reason the animals are not slaughtered here is because of the high cost of labour. Do you know how many abbatiors have closed down since the rot started in the late 80′s?
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We cannot export everything due to our regulations where as they want the whole cow, so ofell, feet and organs etc. If we slaughter them here, we cannot provide them with everything they want.
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These countries will not accept meat killed in Australia – as simple as that
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That’s actually not true, J! – ALL countries that accept live animals from Australia currently accept meat as well. Both exports are being sold in, literally, the exact same marketplaces.
To be honest, the trade in live export has more to do with a being a cheap and convenient way to offload the older, lower value animals that Australians won’t eat but which we’ll happily send off to poorer countries.
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Can’t be bothered going into the billion and one differences between Ireland and Australia but let me start with a few which have a HUGE impact on livestock farming…
- climate
- distances of travel (times a million)
- breeds of sheep and cattle
- distances to other nations
- distances from farm to abattoir
- number of abattoirs
- number of livestock
Just a few for you to think about in comparison between the two – the answers should answer your questions!
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No way. There are so many reasons for this so I will list them:
1. It is a short sighted view to a real problem. Simply banning live export would not stop any other nations from stepping in and happily taking Australia’s place. Anyone who suggests we should ban Australia from participating due to issues of animal welfare should be aware that this will not at all stop the practice. Do you only care about Australian animals? Or all animals? These nations we trade live to would not accept Australian killed animals due to religious and cultural reasons.
2. Farmers pay a levy on all the livestock they sell which is meant to go towards stockmen being sent to educate these nations on safe/kinder killing practices. IF you remove Australian’s influence from the picture, what possible way can we possibly impact on the practices? Other nations are happy to send their livestock and do not think twice about it. A better solution would be to actually make sure that that funding is going towards better and kinder killing practices.
3. Quite a number of the images that have been shown by ABC and 60 minutes have NOT been of Australian animals and in places where we do not send our animals on the basis of their poor standards. Similarly, much of the footage is failing to show those abattoirs making improvement as a result of the impact of Australian farmers. For example, footage from the Jalan Abattoir, Near Medan, Sumatra, showed a black steer trembling in a raceway before slaughter. This abattoirs lairage has now been altered to ensure improved handling, with water and feed available right up to point of slaughter. Improvements have also been made in regards to knocking boxes dependent on the form of stunning used. Many exporters have adopted a policy 100% stunning with their clients. The fact that this has been left out of the media is totally poor and sloppy journalism.
4. The impact – economically and socially on farmers and those involved in the agricultural industries overseas. As the journalist in this article says – farmers do not want to see animals treated cruelly, but they also don’t want their livelihood destroyed. They were equally horrified by the treatment of lambs in Pakistan. However, they also cannot afford to “keep” these animals in Australia, where there is not enough of a market. Additonally a reduction of animal import permits overseas has already caused a loss of income on an already poor rural population.
Clearly “banning” live export is not the solution. However, continued involvement from Australian stockmen and women and adoption of 100% stunning policy should ensure better practices in the future.
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Well said!!
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Absolutely, its disgusting, inhumane, unnecessary, tragic. Some things are more important that export dollars. We have to keep evolving as a species. Please ban it! Go to the Animals Australia website and sign the petition today.
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BAN BAN BAN BAN.
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This is the same country where parents throw acid on their daughters because they ‘look at boys’! As if animals are ever going to be treated well over there!!
Ban it NOW.
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Beee – generalisations don’t help anyone. That’s akin to saying “South Australia is the state where people get cut up into pieces and stored in barrels. How can we expect animals to be treated well in South Australia if this is how they treat people?”
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Oh my god. This has to stop.
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I’m sorry but I’m so tired of hearing about the poor farmers and their livelihoods. When any other workers are made redundant and can’t get work in the same field, they re-train to find new livelihoods. What about these poor animals?? If ceasing live exports causes hardship for farmers, go do something else! Farmers think their right to work on the land should be provided by all of us. We all have to re-invent ourselves in the workforce, often numerous times over so if their method of earning an income is no longer viable or deemed humane, they too need to re-invent themselves.
I am a vegetarian for exactly these reasons. Everyone occasionally gets up in arms about cruelty to animals. Have you ever heard comedian Dave Hughes talk about his time working in an Australian abbatoir? He is now vegetarian. If you think hanging cows upside down and electrocuting them, sometimes not enough so their throats are slit while they are not adequately stunned is acceptable, as Australian beef eaters obviously do, then who are you to criticise Pakistani or Indonesdian livestock handlers?
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THANK YOU!! So well said….
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Been eating fairy bread have you?
Tell you what, how about I prevent you from doing your job, and living a lifestyle that you want to live because I don’t like what you do for a living?
You’d be happy to do that? I doubt it.
If you hate farmers that much then I suggest you grow your own food and never again buy anything that has come from a farm of any sort.
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I was referring to livestock farmers. They should not be allowed to keep farming animals if the animals are then treated inhumanely. If they are also growing other crops then good for them, maybe they can farm with a clear conscience with just those crops.
It is time farmers accepted that their grandfather’s livelihood may not be available to them, unless they change their farming practices to accommodate OUR expectations. Yes I am appreciative to farmers for the food they provide. But no, farmers don’t seem to understand that I too sustain them, in the work that I do to contribute to this country. There are other hard-working people in Australia outside of the bush! If farmers ever left their farms they might see that the world doesn’t revolve around them, that it takes many occupations, manufacturers for example who are also currently struggling, to make up our economy.
And yes ‘guest’….I do grow my own food, as many people are now doing in their own backyards. We are sick of the dollar determining what and how we eat. Maybe the government should subsidise all of us to grow our own food? I know a couple who are totally self-sustaining, on a suburban 1/4 acre block.
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These men (yes, they are men by an enormous majority), feed you. They feed the person who lives next to you, and they feed your friends.
You could argue the point about the people you know who are self sufficient on a 1/4 acre block. Good for them. But I’d bet they aren’t totally self sufficient. Not by a long shot. Nor could is the country able to give every couple 1/4 acre to grow their own food, it’s so inefficient it’s laughable. That’s why we have farmers to grow food at an efficient rate and do it as cheaply as possible. “Organic” farming is a joke due to its inefficiencies and won’t feed more than a few nutters, and doesn’t produce food that is in any way more nutritious.
So the bottom line, if you want to advocate chucking farmers off your land then stop using what they produce, and line up to starve when it happens.
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Guest your reference to ‘nutters’ in regards to anyone who doesn’t want to eat your mass-produced animals shows your disregard not only for the population living outside the bush, but also for the animals you make money off. You keep telling yourself that you’re a living god, feeding us all. Well when the demand for your cruel practices dries up, I’ll give you a job in the city. I’ll even cook you a beautiful dinner from my home-grown produce! xo
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Do you eat wheat? Barley, canola, oats, soy , chickpeas, lentils, sunflower seeds? You do realise that a lot of live stock producers also produce these things and Australian farmers are responsible for producting 93% of Australias food supply. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you…
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Yes I agree and do they realise how much “environmental” impact clearing does in order to make your grains and vegetables you sustain yourself on – HEAPS. Not to mention that it kills a lot of wildlife in the meantime – including mice, native animals and lots of insects. If we are going to go all high and might vegetarian – just know that unless you grow ALL of your own food at home, you are killing things to stay alive.
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Couldn’t agree with you more Neeks!
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If all the farmers were to just ‘go do something else’ or ‘re-invent’ themselves what would you eat? Or do you suggest we just import all our food? Cattle farmers often grow crops too and our farmers work very hard to produce crops to provide our food and clothing, in sometimes very difficult circumstances such as drought and floods.
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Lucky us beef farmers kill our own meat then. No dodgy electrocution up side down for us! Just a happy animal eating grass in the paddock one second, bullet to the brain the next – didn’t even know it was coming. Mmmmm beef.
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