Animal advocates across Australia have expressed outrage at the outcome of the government Farmer Review into the live export industry. Suzanne Cass, from Live Export Shame Tasmania, described Mr Farmer as a former government ‘lackey’, who only paid attention to the welfare of exporters and farmers and none to the animals.
‘It is completely disingenuous for Farmer to recommend “traceability”, and the implementation of OIE (International Organisation for Animal Health) standards in importing countries, most of whom are signatories to those standards, but completely ignore them’, said Ms Cass. ‘It is common knowledge that in the Middle East, for example, that of the millions of sheep who are exported to some countries there are on-sold to other countries, and that they are sold off to backyard slaughter where there can never be any protection applied to their welfare. Time and time again we have seen the obscene torture of our animals in all importing countries’.
The trigger for the Farmer enquiry, along with the parallel Senate enquiry, was the ‘Four Corners’ program ‘A Bloody Business’, showing Australian cattle being tortured to death in Indonesian slaughterhouses. Both enquiries attracted well over 400 submissions, the vast majority (about 84%) calling for a permanent end to the trade in live animals. The Farmer enquiry has called for ‘traceability’, but has not mandated stunning prior to slaughter, with Minister Senator Joe Ludwig claiming that since ritual slaughter is not proscribed in Australia; such conditions cannot be applied to other countries.
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‘How many times do we have to see our animals being abused and tortured in this trade before it is ended?’ said Ms Cass. The Indonesian exposure was one of many others, and since then we have seen our animals abused in Israel and grossly abhorrent images of slaughter practices in Turkey – these on top of the investigations across the Middle East exposed by Animals Australia over many years. Now the government has put the industry back in charge of regulating itself when it has so clearly demonstrated that it cannot be trusted at all. The “independent” auditors are employed by, and paid by, the exporters.
‘Neither enquiry even pretended to consider the welfare implications of shipping animals tens of thousands of kilometres to countries where there is clear, unassailable and overwhelming evidence of egregious and endemic animal abuse.
In 1985, a Senate Select Committee stated that, if a decision were to be made on welfare grounds, the live export trade should end, and in the 26 years since then, there have been multiple disasters at sea, and a massive body of evidence provided of systemic abuse of Australian animals in all destination countries.
‘Once again, your parliamentary representatives have failed dismally to consider the views if hundreds of thousands of decent, hardworking Australians, and have only considered the ‘welfare’ of farmers and exporters. And they want to set up more sham, unworkable, and non-transparent systems with YOUR tax dollars’, concluded Ms Cass.
• IMPROVEMENTS TO ANIMAL WELFARE ACT NEEDED
Cassy O’Connor MP
Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson
The Tasmanian Greens thanked the participants of the roundtable meeting for their constructive contribution to the discussion around the links between animal cruelty offences, anti-social behaviour and other more serious crimes.
Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP said the ideas raised would help inform and assist the Tasmanian Greens in any proposed amendments to the Animal Welfare Act 1993.
Ms O’Connor said the roundtable discussion included Associate Professor Eleonora Gullone from Monash University, whose research examines the psychological links between animal cruelty and other criminal behaviour, including violence towards people.
Ms O’Connor also welcomed statements by representatives from the Department of Primary Industries indicating that the Minister Bryan Green has asked the state’s Animal Welfare Advisory Committee to undertake an immediate review of the Act.
“The Greens have long been strong advocates for animal welfare, understanding that cruelty to any sentient being is usually linked to deeper psychological issues on the part of the perpetrator,” Ms O’Connor said.
“Research demonstrates clear psychological links between acts of animal cruelty and tendencies to violence. This needs to be acknowledged and addressed, for the wellbeing of our communities, and Tasmania’s animals.”
“Tasmanians are continually disgusted by animal cruelty cases before the courts, which often see offenders handed a minor penalty.”
“The Greens welcome any review of the Animal Welfare Act, and encourage public education and legal enforcement in the interests of animal welfare.” Ms O’Connor said.
