Mostly Live Sheep Bound for Oman
By Reuben Brand
The event was opened by Lord Mayor Clover Moore, then yours truly presented findings from his investigations throughout the Middle East.
I screened a video of what I uncovered during my time in abattoirs and livestock markets as well as a video I shot whilst in Townsville and Dinmore of meat workers who have now lost everything due the the live export trade.
Federal President of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU) Grant Courtney then took the stage and talked through the devastating effects live export is having on the Australian meat processing industry.
WSPA Programs Manager, Emily Reeves spoke about the horrendous animal welfare issues and undeniable cruelty that goes hand in hand with the live export trade.
Then it was time for Q and A – a sheep farmer stood up and asked a number of pertinent questions – he also told over 100 people how he gets paid exactly the same amount of money for his sheep regardless whether he sells them to live exporters or local processors. So why not support local industry instead of sending much needed jobs and money offshore?
Below are some links to the media attention we have been getting – loads more to come:
SBS news coverage: http://player.sbs.com.au/naca/#/naca/wna/Latest/playlist/Call-for-review-of-live-sheep-exports/
The Age: http://www.theage.com.au/national/unlikely-allies-fight-live-exports-20100310-pzae.html
The Daily Telegraph: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/calls-to-end-australias-inhumane-sheep-export/story-e6freuzr-1225839210631
ABC Online: http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201003/s2841698.htm
ABC Radio National: http://www.abc.net.au/rural/telegraph/content/2010/s2842916.htm
Below are the two videos I put together – the first is from my investigation in the Middle East – the second is from the Meat workers I interviewed in Townsville and Dinmore. Both were broadcast at the event. Feel free to upload them at the P/A
M.E. investigation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he6Fy9foKWM
Meat worker interviews: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz0PJC8315s
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
Ah Reuben, this is another sad story you have for us… I’m sometimes reluctant to respond to your posts, Reuben, in spite of the fact that I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments and reasoning.
The lack of compassion displayed by those engaged in this frightful industry leaves me wondering if there’s any hope for the human race at all…
😐
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Ghandi once said that “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” That said, I think we all still have miles to go before we sleep.
But in raising awareness of these issues hopefully we can make some much needed changes.
Yes, indeed it is another sad story – I will endeavour to send through a few more light hearted pieces every once in a while.
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Well Reuben, I see that you get up to serious stuff when you are not accidentally wandering into brothels. Congratulations on having several ducks lined up in a row over this issue.
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Thanks Voice – There has been a great response since the launch last week and hopefully it will grow from strength to strength.
Hahaha… Well I am actually heading back to Dubai in the coming weeks – at least now I know where I WONT be staying 😉
Thanks again and keep in touch.
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It says a lot about us that we allow this cruelty to farm animals to happen. We are very selective about which animals are worthy our care and concern, our pets and maybe some beached whales…
Seeing Tony Abbott and Miranda Devine on TV tonight does not give me much hope for caring about animals or people.
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I agree completely – imagine the uproar if our furry little kittens were bundled into the back of car boots and left for hours on end in the hot sun?
What is the difference between a sheep and a kitten? Last time I checked they were both still sentient beings…
Sadly MPs like Tony Burke have absolutely no care or conscience when it comes to this issue. He is in the pocket of the live exporters – someone really needs to find a spine for him on e-bay.
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I’ve worked with sheep. Any notion of sentience in sheep is deeply misinformed. Sheep are dumber than rocks, and the more of them there are the dumber they seem to be.
That having been said they none the less deserve better care and attention, even only if it is on their way to slaughter.
The only way this trade will be curtailed or changed to something more humane will be by the outcry of those outraged at the wanton cruelty it involves. The problem is however that I suspect what we would identify as cruelty probably isn’t what your average grazier would call cruelty, and that wouldn’t even come close to what the end user might identify as needless cruelty in the preparation of their lamb meal.
Still it’s gotta start somewhere. The notion that we can export the responsibility to a place out of sight and out of mind no longer holds. I think that most Australians now know that there’s something wrong here and time will almost inevitably bring about the introduction of more humane processing and logistics.
Perhaps your voice Reub, will hasten that day. Good on ya!
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…your average grazier would not call mulesing cruelty, would they?
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Graziers mostly see mulesing as a marketing problem. To them it’s a matter of getting the “right” message across, and that message is, “we do this for the animals benefit”.
The problem with mulesing is that while there is no doubt that the overall life of the animal is potentially improved by the removal of the skin around the breech, thereby reducing the incidence and severity of fly strike and associated bacterial and viral infection, and improving the quality of the wool removed from around the breech; the act itself looks barbaric and the animal does suffer significant distress in the process and during recovery. Once recovered however the animal would enjoy a more comfortable life than an unmulesed beast kept in similar circumstances.
The questions surrounding the supply of all types of farmed meat all turn on acceptable practice within a viable, sustainable and lets not forget profitable framework of processes that delivers food at a bearable cost. Sorry to be so market oriented but the fact is that improvements in this area all cost extra.
Many graziers would change tomorrow to any process or procedure that both reduced their guilt and yet somehow maintained their profitability. In the absence of such a proven improvement they continue with current practice which is to mules the animals and export them live under conditions that cause significant distress and death.
One answer to part of the problem would be, as Reub suggests, to have the animals prepared and slaughtered here according to halal rules and the meat exported either as whole carcasses or as processed cuts. The problem there is that the end user often wants a live animal so the throat can be cut in the presence of those that will consume it. It’s not our way but it is their way and they’re the ones paying the check.
More importantly, it’s part of a much larger question about animal cruelty generally. Once again Reub’s Ghandian paraphrase seems apposite. How we treat animals is a good reflection of the moral quality of our very fibre as a people. We lavish care and doting love on our pets, we weep for stranded whales, and gnash out teeth as the Tasmanian devil goes into that dark night; and yet food animals seem less deserving of our finer emotional engagement.
I’ve read Singer and many others on this subject and still have no clear picture of a solution. Maybe the answer is to proscribe any action that caused distress to the animal and then let the market rip. The price of meat would jump dramatically, it would become a luxury item. The middle east would find alternative suppliers while here at home the humble lamb chop would become a delicacy. Less land would be required to farm hard hoofed sheep, land that could be turned over to developing a kangaroo and wallaby meat industry. We wouldn’t need to mules them and I think kangaroo tastes better than lamb anyway.
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Waz, the humble lamb chop is ALREADY a delicacy – well the cutlet if not the chop !
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Sorry, what did you say after graizers?
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It won’t improve our standing in the rest of the world. The statement that ‘if Australia doesn’t supply the’market’, others will’. Well, let others be judged and found lacking in care for animals by the world but let us be seen as caring for life, be it sheep or children behind barbed wire in detention or on islands.
The mulesing and live animal exports are done for money and without any consideration of how this money is made. If the farmers get the same for sheep killed here or by live export, the farmers ought to refuse to sell to those live export merchants of cruelty and death.
Thank you Reuben for standing up and point out this foul trade in cruelty and misery.
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Thanks so much Gerard.
The whole idea of “another country will supply the market” is just the live exporters newest come back. Their last one was that people in the Middle East didn’t have adequate refrigeration for chilled meat. As well as being absolutely culturally insensitive and offensive, this argument is deeply flawed and ignorant. Dubai has air conditioned public bus stations, indoor snow/ski mountains in the middle of the desert and some of the most luxurious hotels in the world. But they dont have fridges to keep their meat in… Hmmm… Go figure.
Australia claims to be leading the charge in live export welfare and to have the best animal welfare standards in the world – Best standards for bad practice just doesn’t cut it I’m afraid.
Australia pushes so much under the rug in the hope others wont see it.
We label ourselves a tolerant multicultural society – we tried to kill off the Aboriginals, when that didn’t work we tried to breed them out, when that fell through we took away their children. They now live in third world conditions in a first world country. We have numerous detention centres (usually referred to in hostile countries as ‘concentration camps’) that house woman and children. We have a paranoid immigration system, a xenophobic population who are terrified of being “over run” by foreigners and a government who openly supports racist rogue states like Israel… Yes indeed we live in the lucky country.
I love this country, but some things really need to change.
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My two favorite sheep, Kebab and Roast
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I see, our Hung, that you too are less attracted by mutton pickled in brine on the hoof. Vegan nightmare this one…..
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Emmjay, as a scientist you make a good zealot
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Next time you are in the Middle East try “Shawarma” then you will only have one favourite. 🙂
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That’s a bloody good comeback Reuben. Must use it some time.
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As a vegetarian you make a good ham sandwich
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As a McDonald drive thru boy you make a good pack of fries
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