By Reuben Brand
Live export is not only cruelly exporting Australian animals; it is crippling local industry and exporting our jobs. Writes Reuben Brand
After conducting numerous investigations at livestock markets and abattoirs throughout the Middle East, I returned to Australia with hours of footage and hundreds of photographs that document the inhumane treatment these animals endure at the receiving end of the live export trade.
These investigations were launched by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore during a forum at Parliament House in Sydney, where I spoke alongside representatives from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU).
Since my return I have been working closely with local meat processors and Australian meat workers who are now doing it tough due to the fact that there is simply not enough livestock to support local industry because they are all being shipped offshore.
The myths about why live export is important are many; the most common are as follows:
Myth: “Many people do not have the luxury of home refrigeration, and supermarkets are often inaccessible and unaffordable to those living in regional villages.”
Fact: Australia predominately exports to the Gulf region which, despite industry claims, is a very prosperous region for obvious reasons. Oil. The idea of “a lack of refrigeration” is not only an extremely ignorant and un-researched claim, but it is highly culturally offensive. People in the Middle East are not Bedouins living in tents, during my time living in the region I saw more luxury vehicles and high-rises than I see in Sydney or any other “developed” country. Supermarkets are very plentiful and very accessible, all of which stock a huge variety of chilled meat – with Australian chilled meat as the cheapest and most sort after of all.
Did I mention that Dubai has air-conditioned public bus stops and indoor ski slopes? But apparently no one has a fridge. Go figure.
Myth: “The supply of live animals is also important for religious and cultural reasons.”
Fact: Yes, there are religious celebrations that require live animals – only two times a year. Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and Eid al Adha, that marks the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. Only twice a year – but we continue to send live animals 365 days a year.
I spoke to one of the young migrant workers at a livestock market in the region who told me he does not get paid by the local livestock company for his services. Rather, they give him a small amount of food and let him sleep in the holding pens with the animals. He has a Diploma of Associate Engineering and this is what he gets. This kind of cheap labour comes at a very high price and is all the more reason for Australia put an end to a trade that treats both humans and animals so appallingly.
The solid fact of the matter is that the live export trade is exporting Australian jobs (to countries that in some cases don’t even pay their employees) and is crippling our meat processing industry.
During a recent trip to Townsville and Dinmore in Queensland, I interviewed meat workers who are now either unemployed or have had their shifts cut right back and are trying to survive on government handouts.
In Townsville I watched as truck after truck, loaded with cattle, drove straight past the local abattoir. One local meat worker, who is now unemployed, told me that the export vessel docked in the harbour was not only exporting cattle, it was exporting the jobs of approximately 250 people who had just been stood down.
“Nobody is working today and yet there is a boat with thousands of cattle leaving. Thousands! You know, that’s a whole months’ worth of work for us,” she said.
According to Grant Courtney, President of the AMIEU, 40,000 people have lost their jobs and 150 processing plants have been shut down due to the live export trade – over 700 of these job losses have happened in the past six months alone.
“I can’t understand why the Government is sticking its head in the sand when thousands of Australian jobs are being lost due to this trade,” he said.
Another man I spoke to who lost his job at the local abattoir is now struggling just to keep his family afloat. His fiancé, who is also pregnant, has now had to go back into the workforce to try to support their growing family.
With no money for food or bills, no fuel in the car, debt collectors breathing down his neck and relying on donations to survive, life is becoming increasingly tough he bravely told me.
“Lately it’s been getting pretty bad… we’ve even had to go down to the local community centre and grab food vouchers… You start to appreciate things like that when people donate food and money vouchers so you can live.”
Shift cut backs and job losses at the processing plant in Dinmore now have workers pondering the future of the Australian meat processing industry. As one woman told me, if the Dinmore plant is suffering, which is one of the biggest in Australia, then she can’t see hope for the survival of any of the smaller ones.
“Every boat of cattle that leave this county, leave the Australian worker and I know what it feels like without work…it’s no good saying that the live cattle export doesn’t contribute, it certainly does. Because it’s just got worse and worse,” she said.
With a daughter who has a terminal illness and needs a surgery that could save her life, this woman courageously sat and gave a first-hand account of how the live export trade is affecting her life and many others who are now in the same boat.
Andrew Martell, a sheep farmer from central Western NSW, attended the live export forum at Parliament House last month and made some points during Q and A time – he also told the room that he receives the same amount of money for his sheep regardless whether he sells them to exporters or local industry.
So why on Earth would you want to send sheep offshore to be slaughtered and transported inhumanely when you could have it all done here and create much needed jobs in the process?
It is an absurd idea to think that all people in the Middle East buy their daily meat from a wet market – can you imagine how long it would take just to buy a single steak? Local supermarkets and butcher shops operate on a cuts and carcass trade where the outcome for the consumer would remain the same with a chilled meat trade.
Independent research, conducted by ACIL Tasman, shows that a sheep processed domestically is worth 20 per cent more to the Australian economy than one exported live.
According to the Australian live export industry this trade contributes $1.8 billion to the economy, so by using their own figures, if we phase out the live export trade and implement a chilled meat trade for export we could have an industry that injects $2.16 billion into our economy. Not to mention the huge impact it will have on Australian jobs.
A chilled meat trade is not only a sustainable alternative but is also extremely lucrative for all involved, be it farmer, processor or meat worker.
To view a video of Reuben’s investigation in the Middle East please click here
To view interviews of meat workers please click here
Reuben Brand is a freelance journalist who has worked extensively in the Middle East. For more information please visit his website at: www.reubenbrand.com
Eddie said:
We will continue to fight to end live exports: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=390294637705602&
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Vanessa West said:
People need to see that this is such a cruel & un-necessary thing to ship animals in overcrouded , hot ships where they get thrown around by the sea, often hurting themselves, breaking bones and not to mention a horrible slow death! go days without food or water and get treated very wrongly. I would do anything for this to stop ='( I can’t imagine what these animals must go through.
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gerard oosterman said:
Well,
Our own history of mulesing sheep, done nowhere else except in Australia, probably has hardened us accepting animal crualty and live exports.
There is no reason for this because halal certification methods of killing locally and exporting the meat has been signed up by Australia and Middle East countries.
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H said:
Good one Reuben, makes one weep just looking at the pictures of those poor sheep.
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Karen said:
I totally agree with Janelle, do you governmennt (so called) authorities think we are stupid, we see what goes on. My children see it, and it is disgusting. I am not proud to call myself Australian if we act like this and I will be complaining with my vote, and suggesting others do too!!!
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Nicky said:
The unfortunate animals doomed to this trade do not even have protection before they leave Australia, with no welfare checks carried out on transports and at ports. The trade is dominated by breed and complicit animal welfare regulators and authorities. Then sick, injured, pregnant animals are loaded with the rest on mostly third world wrecks of ships on which up to 40,000 will die of starvation, dehydration, illness and trauma from brutal handling. They are just ‘collateral damage’.
The really unfortunate ones survive to be brutalised by hideous on-transporting, handling and appalling slaughter that does not even comply with the so-called ‘religious’ requirements. Thank you for your investigation, Reuben. But Gillard will be no better than Rudd, who was no better than Howard who was no better than those before him. Remember these people at the Federal election!
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Lisa said:
The whole Live Export scene has always looked to me as though some very dirty deals were done. Economically it’s never made any sense at all, when we could be exporting Fat, unstressed, FROZEN carcasses. Our product would be better, therefore worth more etc… we would have all the jobs created by having several well run, well placed processing facilities that adhere to strict welfare standards, which in turn, make it a better place for the workers too, nobody want to work in a blood bath of abuse and cruelty. Less stress on animals = more money for farmers….Duh!
I bet Warren Truss knows of a few backhanders that occurred during his reign as Minister for Agriculture..Amazing what some people get away with.
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Vanessa said:
I know that that this trade will be ended, it is just a matter of when. It is heartening to see so many voices against live export, we just cant let up. Perhaps with a new PM we can see new hope.
It is when we lose hope that we lose sight of our goal, so lets keep pushing! These innocent animals deserve nothing less.
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Ines TW said:
There is so much evidence about the cruelty of the Trade, both on the ships and the slaughter methods in the ME, and about the economic benefits of stopping live exports, and so many Australians who want this Trade to end. To all of those people I urge you to write to Tony Bourke (and copy to Julia Gillard so she’s made aware of the Trade as Rudd was on his recent roadshow to WA) and if you’re in WA write to Terry Redman too and tell them all to STOP the Trade or they will not receive your votes – this is impotant as there will be a Federal election soon. Keep this serious issue of animal welfare in their minds – it’s just got to end. the Trade only serves a few very wealthy and greedy exporters, and nobody else as they would have us believe. The suffering of millions of sheep, cattle, goats and other animals exported overseas annually must be stopped once and for all, and then Australia might dare to call itself a caring nation.
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Anne said:
Is this what Australia call leading the way, allowing the Middle East to dictate the terms? This is a barbaric trade and should have been stopped years ago. How many Australians have been put out of work when abattoirs where closed, where animals were at least slaughtered humanely. Shame on the Australian government for allowing this shameful, barbaric practice to contine.
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Linda M said:
The cruelty of live animal export is well documented. The statistics are ther. In addition there are closures of abattoirs in Victoria – we are sending work overseas.
We are allowing animals to be subject to horrific journeys by land and sea to then be handled and slaughtered by a means outside of our own animal welfare standards.
Then, as an added demonstration of how our federal and state governments do not really care re animal welfare – the few standards that are in place are not monitierd or enforced at all, be it on farm during transport, at saleyards or at abbatoirs. Again there is evidence from local and overseas of cruel and unnecessary brutalisation of animals at the hands of workers.
How we treat animals involved in profit is wrong, whether it be live export, long distance transport , lack of inspections of farming facilities, outdated laws and codes that do not even come near meeting world standards of animal welfare, total lack of monitoring and prosection(including by the RSPCA). That it can even be considered acceptable to factory farm demonstrates how far we are from being ordinary, decent human beings.
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Bronwyn said:
Thanks Reuben Brand, for telling the community how the live export trade really operates, and dispelling some of the myths that have so successfully dominated this argument. I would like to agree with Janelle though – and ask all Australians – Do we really see our government’s tolerance of the cruelty/economic stupidity of the live export trade as such a surprise, given that our govt regulators have been ignoring welfare problems in our own saleyards, ports and onfarm for years? Members of the public who attend a saleyard or a port will often note that there will be no routine animal welfare inspections by regulators, and even if an inspector has been there, many animals who are weak, sick or injured will still be allowed to be sold and transported, often long distances out of the saleyard, even though according to the codes and the legislation, these animals should be either rested, treated by a vet or humanely destroyed onsite. Australia has a long tradition of allowing livestock producers to get the last few dollars for their animals, even if it means causing the animals more suffering than the codes and the Acts permit. Make no mistake, Australian animal welfare for livestock is based on looking after the interests of the producers, not the animals.
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Sue said:
An informative factual article which expels a few common myths. The reasons Australian Farmers Federation, Live Exporters Assn and Pastoral and Graziers Assn support the live export trade are all their own selfish reasons … they’re definitely not thinking about their fellow man (the unemployed abbottoir worker) but mostly, their don’t give a stuff about the suffering that’s inflicted on the animals. They make sure the AWU has NO-ONE available to inspect the exports or ensuring our ‘highest standards’ are enforced. What a joke …. except it’s NOT A JOKE. It’s a shame … Australia’s shame.
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S Ellis said:
It really is quite inexcuseable in this day and age that live beings are not treated with the basic respect and understanding they deserve, we should be leading the way in regards to Animal Welfare, not dragging behind. When will we learn.
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Stephanie said:
We all know that the live export of sheep to the Middle East is barbaric, and when I say all of us that includes the Australian Government and Australian farmers, but the sad truth is neither gives a damn. Fancy sending any live animal to a country such as the Middle East, a country known for its brutal ways…Australia does this without giving it a second thought. What more is there to say…
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sylvia raye said:
How long do we have to keep talking about this subject? Is no one listening. The majority of Australians do not want this vile trade to continue. Is possible we have politicians in this country who lack empathy, compassion and common sense. I would say yes. It is disgusting they allow this to continue. Just goes to show what low lifes they really are.
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Janelle said:
Thank you for visiting the ME and gathering, even more evidence which shows clearly the Australian Government and live export industry has been misleading the public.
There is no doubt in my mind or in the mind of millions of decent Australians who have signed the petition against live export that the cruelty is ongoing and totally unnecessary.
What the public dont see and what is often overlooked however is the cruelty suffered by millions of sheep, cattle and goats here in Australia.
In the last 12 months there has not been 1 animal welfare inspection by the State Animal Welfare Unit Inspectorate at the Port of Fremantle.
This port is where 80% of all animals are exported yet there are NO animal welfare isnepctions routinely undertaken.
Why is that? Go ask the West AUstralian Farmers Federation, Live Exporters Assn and the Pastoralists and Graziers Assn- I believe they are the ones who have used the political nasties the ‘Nationals’ to make sure the AWU Inspectorate have no funding and is moved to the DAFWA (Dept of Ag. Massive conflict of interest.)
No funding no inspections. No inspections no problems!
Australia has a reputation for being a cruel nation, where animal welfare is an after thought. Live export shows this to be 100% true.
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