Australian Greens – Dissenting Report
1.1
Following the footage shown on the ABC's 4 Corners program, the
Australian Greens introduced a bill, the Live Animal Export (Slaughter)
Prohibition Bill 2011 [No.2] and, on 16 June 2011, we referred the role and
effectiveness of the Government, Meat and Livestock Australia, LiveCorp and
relevant industry bodies in improving animal welfare standards in Australia’s
live export markets to inquiry.
1.2
It was the Australian Greens who prompted this immediate and
wide-ranging inquiry into the live exports industry and who have opened up the
trade to parliamentary scrutiny.
1.3
While the policy of the Australian Greens is for the live export
industry to end while the industry continues to trade, we want the highest
possible animal welfare standard, which includes mandatory pre-slaughter
stunning.
Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition Bill 2011 [No.2]
1.4
The Australian Greens' bill will put an immediate end to the horrific
treatment of Australian cattle in overseas abattoirs.
1.5
Since the ABC's 4 Corners program was aired, an episode aptly titled A
Bloody Business, constituents from all over Australia, have been appalled and
outraged by the footage of Australian cattle being subjected to cruel
treatment. Australians are horrified to see eye gouging, kicking, tail twisting
or breaking, as well as cattle experiencing an average of 11 cuts to the
throat, whilst conscious, with one animal suffering 33 cuts to its throat.
1.6
The Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition Bill 2011 amends
the Export Control Act 1982 to prohibit the export of live animals for
slaughter. The bill provides definitions of live-stock and live-stock for
slaughter to limit the application of the bill to live-stock, as defined in
section 3 of the Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997 as
cattle, calves, sheep, lambs, goats or other prescribed animals, that is
intended to be exported and slaughtered overseas. The ban will be in place
immediately, with no delay and no continued cruelty. My colleague, Adam Bandt
MP, introduced the same bill in the House of Representatives in order to
maintain pressure on the Government to take swift action to end the trade.
1.7
The history of live animal export mortalities, as outlined in
submissions to the inquiry, show that there has been little improvement in
animal welfare standards over the last decade. As outlined by Voiceless in
their submission to the inquiry[1]:
Notable incidents include:
(i) the drowning of 1592 cattle in 1996 when the Guernsey
Express sank en route to Osaka;
(ii) the deaths of over 67,488 sheep aboard the Uniceb
in 1996 after the ship caught fire and sank in the Indian Ocean;
(iii) the deaths of 570 cattle (half of those on board) on
the Charolais Express in 1998;
(iv) in 1999, 829 cattle died by suffocation when ventilation
failed aboard the Temburongon on its way to Indonesia;
(v) the deaths of over 300 cattle from injuries sustained
during a cyclone encountered by the Kalymnian Express in 1998 on its
voyage to Indonesia;
(vi) the deaths in 2002 of 880 cattle (half of those on
board) and 1,400 sheep on the maiden voyage of the Becrux as a result of
overheating (despite the Becrux being a purpose-built live animal
carrier);
(vii) the deaths of 5,500 sheep aboard the Cormo Express
in 2003 when the Saudi Arabian importer rejected the shipload of 57,000 sheep
on the grounds they were infected with scabby mouth. This episode continued for
3 months until the Australian Government persuaded Eritrea to take the
sheep free of charge.
(d) The standard of ships used in live export is
predominantly unacceptable, with a vast majority being decades old, including
the 43 year old Al Kuwait and the 32 year old Al Messi.
1.8
The continued and repeated occurrence of incidents such as these
demonstrates why the Australian Greens advocate a ban on all exports of all
animals to all countries.
Mandatory pre-slaughter stunning
1.9
The Australian Greens believe that mandatory stunning before slaughter
is an absolute minimum requirement.
1.10
Cattle in Australia are stunned prior to slaughter, including those
cattle for the halal-certified export market, but in Indonesia less than 10% of
cattle are stunned before having their throats cut, meaning the vast majority
of cattle are fully conscious when their throat is cut.
1.11
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines establish
minimum standards for developing countries. OIE guidelines allow practices
which would be illegal in Australia to take place in foreign markets to those
unlucky Australian animals which are subjected to live export.
1.12
The OIE guidelines do not require animals to be stunned before
slaughter. The OIE guidelines do not prevent roping, tripping and casting of
animals.
1.13
As Temple Grandin said when interviewed by Four Corners reporter Sarah
Ferguson, – it’s... absolutely wrong to have a box where you trip an animal
down'. Ms Grandin was – shocked to see that Meat & Livestock
Australia’s name was all over the side' of the boxes.
1.14
The evidence collected by Animals Australia and RSPCA shows that the
Mark I cattle restraint devices, which were commissioned under the Meat and
Livestock Australia & LiveCorp program, facilitate Australian cattle being
subjected to cruel practices. The industry program installed 109 of these
devices in Indonesia abattoirs since 2001 and was subsidised to the tune of
$1.2million in taxpayer funds. The restraints enable a method of slaughter that
trips the animals onto their sides, allowing their throat to be cut. As Animals
Australia and the RSPCA state:
footage shows terrified animals falling violently onto a
sloping concrete slab and during the process of trying to get up crashing their
heads and faces against the sharp edge of a concrete blood drain. The force of
these blows has chipped away at the cement and has been known to break jaws.
1.15
Indonesia has no domestic animal protection laws to enforce mandatory
stunning or OIE guidelines, and enforcement of standards in over 4000 slaughter
locations across Indonesia will be near impossible and very costly. Indonesia
is already a signatory to the OIE and Australia has to date failed to ensure
Indonesia complies with the guidelines.
1.16
Progress towards mandatory stunning is slow. The Committee heard that
there are 7 abattoirs in Indonesia stunning and there is no timeline for the
process to be rolled out to all abattoirs[2].
The Farmer Review recommendation that there be greater use of stunning falls
far short and the Greens believe the review should have found that stunning of
animals before slaughter be compulsory.
1.17
As indicated by the World Society for the Protection of Animals in their
submission to the inquiry, Australia should, in addition, require cattle to be
stunned in an upright position and to be restrained for stunning in a
well-designed and well-maintained stunning box or conveyor restraint system.
The live export industry
1.18
Both MLA and LiveCorp have failed to adequately monitor or improve
animal welfare practices in foreign markets to which Australian animals are
shipped. The Greens believe it is implausible that MLA or LiveCorp were unaware
of the animal welfare issues in Indonesia, including the failure of facilities
which were slaughtering Australian cattle not meeting OIE standards. We agree
with the committee's view that the industry must review the delineation of
authority and strengthen communication channels between government,
stakeholders and the community.
1.19
The Government must play a greater regulatory role over the industry to
ensure that the animal welfare standards which Australians expect are met. It
is crucial that the Government take an active and hands on role in the
implementation of any traceability systems, including the auditing of such
systems. This compliance and audit role must not be left to third parties.
1.20
Ultimately, the Australian Greens believe there is no way to implement
safeguards that can guarantee the humane transport and slaughter of animals in
overseas markets and so do not believe that the implementation of a
traceability system will adequately protect Australian animals from cruel
treatment.
1.21
The Australian Greens propose that we need to look at how to improve and
increase processing in Australia to support local producers and jobs. The
community benefits of processing meat in Australia have been underestimated for
too long and are being talked down by the live export industry. An ACIL Tasman
report in 2009 found that the phasing out of live sheep exports would have a
minimal impact of farmers. A 2010 report, commissioned by Australia's leading
meat processors, found that live cattle exports compete with and undermine
Australia's domestic beef industry leading to lost processing opportunities in
Australia.
1.22
Processing animals in Australia protects them from inhumane treatment
and ensures our laws and standards regarding animal welfare can be upheld.
1.23
The Australian Greens have previously indicated we believe compensation
for the suspension of trade, for farmers and other businesses including
transport operators, could be considered in certain circumstances. We
understand that some farmers and other businesses have been more adversely
affected than others and as such any compensation paid should be considered on
a case by case basis. Suitable sources of funds for any compensation payments
might include the $40 million Red Meat Advisory Council or from the $3 million
levy which MLA collects from producers.
The process of the inquiry
1.24
The Australian Greens reject Senator Back's comments with regard to the
ABC's journalistic integrity and the integrity of Animals Australia and the
RSPCA. There is no doubt that Four Corners and Animal Australia substantiated
the veracity of the footage they collected in Indonesia. It is disappointing
that the inquiry was distracted by these comments rather than focusing on the
industry and animal welfare.
Recommendation 1
1.25 The Greens recommend that the Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition
Bill 2011 [No.2] be passed.
Recommendation 2
1.26 Pre-slaughter stunning should be mandatory at all abattoirs where
Australian livestock is slaughtered.
Senator Rachel Siewert
Australian Greens
Navigation: Previous Page | Contents | Next Page