MEDIA RELEASE

29/9/03
Tom Hannan, Federal Secretary
Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union

Since the 1970's the meatworkers union has opposed live exports on the basis of its destruction of Australian jobs, its inhumane treatment of the animals and the decimation of the meat processing industry.

Since that time at least 25 export meatworks have closed in Australia and more are still closing at the present time.

Processing plants in the top end of Australia have been decimated with only two remaining in operation at Townsville and Innisfail in Queensland, with sporadic kills at Katherine in the Northern Territory. The great majority of cattle in the Northern Territory are exported live.

Australia exports 6 million plus sheep each year mostly to the Middle East.

It is estimated by processors that with 6.6 million sheep exported last year this equates to 2,500 full time jobs if processed in Australia. If one such job sustains seven jobs in the wider regional community that means that 17,000 jobs are lost due to this trade.

Processing plants are these days located in regional areas and the loss of jobs in these areas, some where the processing plant is the major or the only employer in the town is catastrophic for both workers and the community.

Instances of this in recent times have been Guyra, Aberdeen, Blayney, Yallah, Lismore and, more recently, Forbes and Mudgee and that is only NSW.

At Altona in Victoria around 800 jobs were lost when that plant closed two years ago and the situation is the same in the other states.

The live export trade is seen to be stressful, cruel and tortuous to animals. Graphic footage of the suffering and torment of the animals has been shown on the media both at sea and worse at their destination.

The Australian meat processing industry is able to slaughter animals to the requirements of some 80 countries around the world and has done so for many years. The slaughter procedures in Australia are carried out, by regulation, in the most humane way possible.

Australian meat workers, including halal slaugherers, are fully trained to carry out their tasks and to ensure humane handling of animals from the arrival at the works right through the procedure.

All meat processors exporting to the Middle East employ halal accredited slaughterers who operate to the Islamic religious and slaughter requirements.

The meatworkers union once again calls on the Federal Government to call an immediate halt to the export of Australian jobs and this obnoxious trade in animal misery.