Live Animal Exports
Stress em, neglect them, then cut their heads off.
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Submitted by: nicoleS | 6 comments 
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Each year Australia exports millions of sheep and hundreds of thousands of cattle for the purpose of meat or breeding. The industry responsible for this transportation has been in existence for over a hundred years and is worth around $840 million dollars. Upon hearing reports of problems during exportation, Animals Australia’s Lyn White investigated the treatment of Australia’s exported animals, from her research the film embedded above was created.
What’s the problem?
- It can take up to three weeks for a shipload of animals to reach their final destination. During which time they are likely to suffer stress, illness, injuries and disease. Sheep die on every ship that leaves Australia. In 2006, 36,408 sheep died during transportation from Australia to the Middle East. The majority died because of trauma, refusal to eat or disease.
- On arrival at some ports, as the video above demonstrates, animal welfare laws are non-existent, which means animals are subject to treatment deemed inhumane and illegal by Australia, such as being dragged by one leg, flung on top of cars or into car boots. For sheep this process is extremely stressful because it means separation from the safety and comfort of their flock.
- Transporting animals internationally entails a tremendous use of energy, resources, and the creation of unnecessary pollution.
What’s the Solution?
- Exporters argue that stopping the service would cut many “Aussie” jobs. However, if the live service was replaced with a chilled one, animals could be killed and segmented in Australia, and then shipped, creating even more income opportunities for Australians. From an environmental perspective this would mean less methane pollution. Shipping meat instead of animals might also require less space, hence less transportation pollution. From an animal rights viewpoint the benefit would be curtailing the pain experienced by animals during the voyage, and preventing their maltreatment in other countries.
- Exporters also argue that live exports are necessary so that animals can be killed in accordance with religious requirements, most notably halal. The halal method requires that the animal be in good health and clean at the time of slaughter, ironic given that on arrival animals would be significantly less healthy than on their departure from Australia. A Muslim person must slaughter the animal by slitting its throat with a sharp knife and allowing the blood to drain completely before moving the carcass. Once dead the animal can be refrigerated, meaning it could equally be transported. Further, whilst halal is partially about ensuring the meat is hygienic, it entails an ethical component that pain and distress in travel should be avoided.
The question of whether live exports should continue, for me, is one of ethics v economics. It is a question that was being considered by the West Australian judiciary, before Minister for Local Government Ljiljanna Ravlich issued instructions for an appeal to be withdrawn. Disgraceful. Click here to demand that the proceedings be reinstated.
http://action.animalsaustralia.org/no_justice/
How do I know this?
- Animals Australia: The Live Animal Export – Indefensible http://www.liveexport-indefensible.com/
- People Against Live Exports and Intensive Farming (PALE) http://www.livexports.com/
- Ponting, Clive. A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilisations (Penguin, 1991)
- Halal Food Authority http://www.halalfoodauthority.co.uk/ethics.html
- Video: Live Export – Indefensible (see above)
This work is licenced under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licence.
© nicoleS 2006. First published on actnow.com.au
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