LIVE ANIMAL EXPORT
AUSTRALIA'S SHAME
Every time we see a truck loaded with animals heading for a port we feel ashamed to be Australian. We have all driven alongside or behind 4 tiered road trains carrying sheep and have been distressed and sickened by the sight of limbs of trapped sheep sticking out of the bars, faces and heads squashed against the rails and we have felt the absolute despair when we looked into the eyes of these helpless creatures.
These animals are still under the protection of The Animal Welfare Act 2002, in Western Australia , right up until the time the loaded ship sails. The Codes of Practice for Transport and the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock are unfortunately, entirely voluntary and self regulatory and because of the overwhelming number of road trains (trucks) and the pitifully few inspectors, prosecutions for breaches of the Animal Welfare Act 2002 are rare. Latest development: Landmark decision: The Police bring animal cruelty charges against Emanuel Exports - more info.
After the Cormo Express fiasco the Federal Government appointed an independent inquiry (Keniry Inquiry report / summary) to audit the live export system and report back with recommendations.
The recommendations were never taken up by a Govt determined on ensuring that this trade continues ‘unhindered’ with animal welfare measures. The Australian Standards for Export of Livestock were born again. These standards are now mandatory and enforcable.
A sheep truck with 4 levels averages 450 sheep. Even with 1% morality rate, (less than the "accepted rate of 2%") in the 6 million sheep exported last year, that is the equivalent of 133 semi trailers of dead sheep.
Feb 2004 - photo courtesy of Animals' Angels
The transport of live sheep, cattle, wild and domesticated goats, deer,
buffalo, emus, domesticated horses and wild camels is just the beginning
of the stress, pain and fear the animals will experience on the road
to the ultimate barbaric slaughter overseas.
The slaughter of animals in Australia is strictly regulated to ensure
that suffering is minimized. There is legislation in Australia requiring
animals to be pre stunned prior to slaughter. Halal abattoirs must adhere
to the same regulations. See Halal slaughter
in an Aust abattoir.
The same cannot be said for slaughter of animals in many overseas countries. There
are no regulations, no controls and it is certainly not humane. Live
animal export is without doubt, cruel and perverse. After the animals
have been loaded onto the livestock ships, it goes from bad to worse
for the doomed animals. It has been said that the animals who die on
the voyage are the lucky ones. The overseas journey takes its toll and
the Australian government considers a 2% mortality rate for sheep and
goats, and 1% for cattle as acceptable. That is an incredible death toll
for a shipment of 50,000 to 70,000 sheep and that is the "official" toll.
In reality it is much higher. 60 Minutes transcript and Mark
Croucher letter.
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Statistics from relevant Government departments on mortality rates are not readily available for all animals exported live. As was reported on 60 Minutes, it would appear that the official figures provided for sheep and cattle differ from the real mortality rates.
see Cruelty report.
The report: An Action Plan for the Livestock Export Industry or APLEI,
was drawn up by AFFA, AQIS, ALEC LiveCorp, MLA and AMSA in October 2002,
which stated that "Consignments of goats (particularly feral goats) have
been associated with high mortalities averaging in excess of 2.3%..."
"Goats are inherently more difficult than sheep and cattle to prepare
and transport." See Feedlots
Many animals routinely die because of breakdowns in ventilation systems
on board the ship, bad weather and rough conditions. Suffocation, starvation,
dehydration and disease, sleep deprivation, diarrhoea, heat stress, respiratory
disease, trauma, pneumonia, motion sickness all take their toll and the
animals who collapse, stay where they fall and die slowly and painfully. Animal Health Problems. We are talking thousands of sheep, cattle, goat's, camels, buffalo, horses,
deer etc. not the odd few or "acceptable mortality rate". Death
Files.
We often hear the claim that the mortality rates are decreasing. Here is what a vet had to say in a letter written to the Veterinary Surgeons' Board of WA - Newsletter September 2003
"The often quoted industry mantra "look at the mortality figures, things are getting better" is misleading and irrelevant as morbidity and individual suffering, which is the basis of law, is conveniently, infact by necessity left out." (Our comment:- simply put, The mortality rate may be getting less but this cannot be used to cover up or justify the individual suffering and deaths, which is what animal cruelty laws are based on.)
This simplistic term "accepted mortality rate", firstly recognises the absolute certainty of animal deaths aboard every voyage. The Government and industry know there will be suffering and deaths of animals. Their verbal assurances that animal deaths is not in the best interest of the exporters, which are insured against losses, is worth nothing!
Secondly this term completely fails to acknowledge the suffering and eventual deaths of thousands upon thousands of animals who are considered irrelevant because their deaths may fall into the BELOW "accepted mortality rate" category.
Is this what society has become? Do we accept the sufferring and abhorant deaths of animals aboard vessels in a trade which is inherantly cruel as NOTHING? |
Official figures are misleading and do not take into account
the losses of animals once they are loaded at the farm gate, right through
the system until they are loaded on the ship and the outright losses due
to ships sinking or burning and losing the entire shipments. For instance
in 1996, 67,488 sheep were left to burn on the Uniceb when it caught fire
and took eight days to sink. The sheer horror for the animals being burnt
to death over an unknown period of time is unforgivable in anyone's language.
In the past twenty years the number of animals dying in catastrophes due
to weather, shipments being rejected, ships sinking or experiencing equipment
failure is in the hundreds of thousands. These deaths are slow, terrifying
and cruel. Death
Files.
The arrival of the animals into countries with high temperatures and
high humidity is the beginning of yet another ultimately shameful, unforgivable
and terrifying series of events. Animals are offloaded under inhumane
and uncaring circumstances. They are thrown, driven, belted and hacked
to get them under control. Cattle are immobilized by men who slice the
tendons in their legs to bring them down and poke out their eyes with
knives to force the cattle to drop. Animals are left with broken bones
and other painful injuries until they die or are slaughtered by having
their throats cut and left to bleed to death. . source : Petra
Sidhom's account in Egyptian abattoir.
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These activities have been filmed, documented and reported to the world.
There is no excuse for this kind of ignorance and barbarity. There is
no religious or cultural excuse for this kind of cruelty.
This trade is unacceptable to any reasonable, compassionate society and Australians have every reason to be outraged by the live animal export industry. It is uncivilized, cruel and unnecessary to treat any animals in this way when there are economically viable and humane alternatives.
Opposition from both rural and city folk, to Australia 's live animal export industry grows day by day as people see past the trade's propaganda and appreciate the extent of the horrific treatment, stress and cruelty suffered by the animals. Some sectors of agricultural production are absolutely appalled by this industry and the resultant desimation of the economies of many small Australian rural communities.
The economics of the live animal export trade are questionable. Its impact
on the Australian work force has been negative and over 17,000 jobs have
been lost to overseas interests along with the profits. Despite those
economic considerations - this industry brings in around $900 million
per annum, it comes at a far greater cost and Australians are saying this
barbaric trade is not worth it. Meat
Workers Union media release. Economic report by R Nicholson.
There is no reason to continue with this trade. The Government and industry
have always advocated that there is a lack of refrigeration and infrastructure
in these countries therefore there is a need to provide live animals.
Saudi Arabia alone has spent one trillion dollars on infrastructure and there is more than adequate refrigeration in the Middle East.
They have supermarkets in both the cities and outlying communities equal
to the very best in Australia, providing all forms of fresh processed
packaged meat.
Below is an extract from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia website http://www.saudiembassy.net/Issues/Hajj/IssuesHaj.asp
pertaining to the Hajj which explains how in 2001 - 637,669 animals (goats,
camels, sheep and cattle) were SACRIFICED over a three day period. This
equates to over 8,856 animals per hour, for the full 72 hours.
Below is an extract from a letter written by an oil rig employee who
worked in the Arabian Gulf for some years. Click
here to read the full letter.
“I worked in the Arabian Gulf on an offshore drilling rig for many years and have seen these ships carrying these sheep go past on a regular basis. You can smell these ships long before they come over the horizon, and for days afterward dead sheep would be floating past the rig, this is because the tide runs in a circular motion.
We could not understand why there were so many sheep tossed into the sea on a single day, until we saw a couple of them trying to swim, then we realised that this must have been the final clear out of those animals that would not have passed inspection, or would have died before sale.
Unless you have lived in the Middle East, you can have no comprehension of the people or customs or conditions that exist in that area.
To say that you have to send sheep live because there is no refrigeration is absolute bullshit. There are supermarkets there just as there are here, and they sell frozen meat of every description.
I have seen an animal killed in the back streets of one of these countries and it was not a pretty sight. I only saw one and do not wish to see another. That poor sheep was being skinned with its throat only half cut, hanging up by its heels. The fate of some of these animals can only be described as being horrific.
There is no way that anyone with any sense of decency could ever condone the live animal trade! Not only is it cruel beyond belief, it is also economic stupidity. The fate that falls to some of these animals is indescribable and horrific.” |
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We know and are very concerned that this export trade has provided millions
of animals and still does, for a sacrificial ceremony which happens every
year, to the detriment of thousands of Australian jobs.
The money this trade returns can be replaced with processed meat. The
reality is that there are a few exporters and overseas importers who make
an enormous amount of money while economies of rural and regional Australia
are dying due to abattoir and related industry closures which provided
the bulk of employment in many towns.
The ultimate price is paid by the thousands and thousands of animals
suffering and dying in deplorable conditions due to this live export trade.
These animals are the innocent victims of human greed.
IT IS TIME TO STOP LIVE EXPORTS
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Write a letter, send an email, send a fax, make a phone call to your State and Federal politician. Find out more..
Overseas viewers, please contact the Australian Prime Minister..
Hon. John Howard, Prime Minister
GPO Box 59, Sydney, NSW 2001
Fax No. (02) 9251 5454 Email via: http://www.pm.gov.au/email.cfm |
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