Federal Government’s latest animal welfare atrocity

The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, has condemned the Federal Government’s plan to exempt Saudi Arabia from animal welfare laws which protect Australian livestock shipped overseas for slaughter.

The Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce is reportedly set to exempt Saudi Arabia from the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System, which would be the first step in undoing the modest animal welfare reforms of the last parliament.

“This is the government saying loud and clear to overseas markets: `we don’t care how you slaughter our animals’,’’ Mr Wilkie said.

“This will have horrendous consequences for Australian animals that will be sent overseas to cruel and shocking deaths with the blessing of the Australian Government.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Australian Government is a pack of sadists who seem to get some sort of unholy thrill out of knowingly promoting animal cruelty.

“Barnaby Joyce in particular is beholden to money and his mates in that tiny part of the red-meat industry which exports livestock. But even there he is incompetent because the only way to ensure the red-meat industry is commercially sustainable over the long term, and have broad public support, is to end the cruelty.

“The fact is the live animal export industry is systemically cruel, not in Australia’s economic self-interest and lacks public support. It needs to be wound up and people like Barnaby Joyce shut down.’’
Andrew Wilkie MP, Independent Member for Denison