Soaring temperatures in early January were no impediment to trucking cattle to Adelaide Port and loading them onto the Ghena. Photographs on 2nd January (temp max 44 degrees) show drooling cattle which correspond to the MLA panting score of 2 or 2.5.
MLA recommendations for feedlot cattle are are follows: "For management purposes, if more than 10% of cattle are exhibiting panting scores of 2 or above, all handling and movement of the affected cattle should be stopped and only resumed when conditions become cooler and cattle have returned to normal". But that's right, live export has a different respiratory character score to the MLA feedlot score...oh and they dont include drooling in their classification (McCarthy 2005). How very convenient....same cattle, same country but different purpose so different animal welfare guidelines. But just remember, we do really care about Australian livestock in Australia.
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The live export industry is predicting Thailand could buy up to 30,000 head of Australian cattle a year, after the two countries agreed to health protocols for trade.
The Australian Livestock Exporters Council, Alison Penfold, says with growing markets in Indonesia and Vietnam, and anticipated opening of a trade with China, beef producers could be hard pressed to meet demand. Wake up Australia. Clearly, live export is going to compete with the more ideal local processing if this expansion keeps up. Unemployment in Australia is set to rise on current forecasts and we are going to lose the added benefits of local processing to the Australian economy. Surely the Budget is in dire straits without the Government adding to their woes. Bizarre. Animal welfare groups around the world celebrated in November 2014 when one of the infamously cruel abattoirs, Karantina, was closed down in Beirut. It closed due to fierce international pressure.
So, with Beirut not highly regarded for good welfare in slaughter, why would Mr Joyce ever choose to open up an export trade with Lebanon? In addition, much of Lebanon is in a state of readiness for war, should the situation in Syria escalate....and we already know from Gaza that Australian animals have no protection in Middle East war zones ....in fact export to Gaza has been suspended for that reason. So, why? Why? Why? A peer reviewed scientific paper has carefully analysed the industry-funded, non-peer reviewed study on ASEL stocking densities and found it to be flawed.
Conclusions made by researchers that "the current ASEL stocking densities are appropriate based on the animal welfare indicators applied in these investigations" and that "the research outputs presented in this report will enable the Live Export to objectively defend the current ASEL space allowances"...appear unfounded according to the new paper. The paper demonstrated that there was poor study design and inadequate measures on which to base the conclusions. But....no doubt industry will still use this study to support current on-board stocking densities. Good science and industry-funded "science" can be two very different things. The Animal Protection Index establishes a ranking of 50 countries, including Australia, that are among the largest livestock producers. The index assesses animal welfare legislation and policy related to farm animals, animals in captivity, companion animals, working animals, animals used in recreation, animals used in scientific research and animals in the wild.
And guess what? We don't have the best animal welfare in the world after all. We are on par with India and Brazil, countries we might think we outdid...and we are well behind New Zealand. Yep, our neighbours across the ditch, as anticipated, thrash us with an A rating compared to our C. Seems we have been deluding ourselves. Footage of loading camels in Adelaide highlights the necessity of independent observation of our Australian animals at loading in Australia.
Vet and animal behaviourist, Dr Kate Lindsey stated that "the camels were tortured and maliciously tormented and, as a consequence, suffered pain and/or fear distress." When public access to Fremantle Port was banned after VALE'S Dr Sue Foster was found to be legally observing port activities, Fremantle Port had this to say "Animal welfare aspects of this trade are monitored by the Federal Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry and the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food. Inspections of livestock at the port are undertaken by AQIS accredited veterinarians and DAFWA inspectors." So where were the relevant AQIS and state agriculture department personnel at Adelaide? The mass slaughter of buffaloes, sheep and goats in the name of Hindu goddess Gadhimai takes place in Bariryapur, Nepal tomorrow (Nov 28th).
In September, the government of India ordered areas bordering Nepal to ban all animal exports to the neighbouring country throughout November. So, Australia, a first world nation with "the best animal welfare in the world" doesnt stop our animals being exported for sacrificial unstunned slaughter in numerous countries in SE Asia and Middle East....but a poor developing nation, bans live export from their country on the basis of animal cruelty. Shame Australia. Time to rethink. It's not all about ESCAS, Mr Crean. Long-haul voyages to a Middle Eastern summer can't be made humane – not by ESCAS, and least of all by a government or industry that thinks that giving a 47kg sheep 0.31 square metres for 20 to 40 days and sending it to conditions of extreme temperature and humidity is even vaguely consistent with good animal welfare. And don't quote us the non-peer-reviewed MLA publication justifying the current space allowance – it would not pass a peer review.
China has a seemingly insatiable desire for Aussie beef...and we supply buckets of the stuff. One WA processor supposedly has signed an agreement which would see up to 50 sea containers of lamb and beef going to China each day! A private NSW firm has also cornered a market in China. Processed meat is value added product for the Australian economy. Why on earth would we bother shipping it inefficiently as live animals....regardless of animal welfare. The Chinese probably wont even end up taking beef from the north, the industry that doesnt have local abattoirs, due to disease biosecurity issues. If they do, just wait for the fallout if they decide for some nefarious political reason to get huffy about it (think scabby mouth in sheep in Bahrain?).
As per usual, another bizarre development in live export. If it's not time to end the live export trade, it is time to have independent vets on ships and independent auditing and monitoring of ESCAS.
Last night Lateline exposed further ESCAS breaches and these are seemingly ongoing in every importing country that independent investigators have been able to access. It's time! Check out our latest media release. |
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