Gillard govt lifts ban on live exports??

cam0063 said...

Is interesting following this guys...

“I'm all for live animal export and happy that the ban has been lifted.”
I am a career cattle farmer – long term and have been involved in Live Export as a supplier and worked in the Aussie side of the Export industry. I fully support exporting to markets which have world recognized animal welfare standards and practices in place equal to our own and only those! Yes the total ban contained a knee jerk reaction and has been a disaster for Australian Agriculture. However it is not all B&W or easy...

“Is it really worth denying a whole very profitable, close and farmer sustaining industry for the sake of a couple of dodgy joints? Why not just specify that you will not supply those particular places?”
We have been exporting to buyers who supply approx 120 abattoirs in Indonesia [possibly more]. Post the 4 Corners episode, consultation within industry took place that came up with approx 50 abattoirs that were believed to use stunning and satisfied all welfare standards equal to ours. Then it dropped to 25 abattoirs that met our equivalent standards. Then as talks progressed it dropped to 7 definite and maybe 10 at most suitable abattoirs. This held a massive grey area and the minority was no longer a minority... We could have supplied the definite's and I wish we had that opportunity, however the scale of the problem at hand soon appeared much larger.

“I mean bloody hell, the footage wasn't even that disturbing at all.”
I found it blooding sickening and a bloody disgrace witnessing what I saw and that we had cattle going to those types of operations. Disturbing is an understatement! I have been a long time supporter and supplier of cattle to this Indo market and to think that our cattle had been treated like that enraged me! Any animal treated in such a way is shocking... Here is a quote from one of Australia's largest cattle producers [Heytesbury] supplying the Indo export market – “Profits are not an excuse for an animal to be treated that way," I totally agree as do many others.

“Would it be better if they just bought from another country and treated the animals the same way?” They have been importing Buffalo from India for quite sometime already. The first time I heard of it was approx 8 years ago. The Indonesian buyers have also been looking to Brazil and Africa for a number of years and have been deliberately reducing the number of Aussie cattle entering Indonesia since they imposed a 350kg live-weight ceiling for each suitable animal at the commencement of the export season in 2010. As of 2010 our live cattle exports to Indonesia have dropped 33%! They find a cheaper supplier, they will go there...

“I am sure that the cost of refrigerating most of an animal is cheaper than shipping the whole animal and feeding it onboard.”
We Aussies have some of the highest production and labour costs in the western world and this is also the case in Agriculture. They buy our cattle live and lighter in weight as it is much cheaper for them to ship them, grow them and finally process them there. This is why our live export trade exists. These countries can not afford and/or will not pay the substantially higher cost for our beef grown and processed here. Another issue is Halal slaughter. Tho we have Halal slaughtermen in near all Australian abattoirs, there are still the Islamic followers who will not accept stunning or us doing it here. This is a problem right now as they will not fully agree to stun in all Indo abattoirs that previously received our cattle. Actually some senior Indo Agriculture officials have said they will sign no guarantee. There is a push in some Islamic quarters to have reversible stunning [as against non-reversible stunning] – where the animal awakens after the knife cut/slash and is alive to bleed to death. For many purists, the animal must be alive as it bleeds! I wont go into that, tho will say – Thats F@@k'd!

“I am embarrassed by their actions, and completely understand why Indonesia may be offended.” Indonesia offended? When I was actively involved in the live export industry I remember another occasion when Indonesia refused to renew import permits at the 10th hour, for our cattle. It was a political stunt and designed to hurt our producers and bring down prices. They reversed it sometime later, but let the industry sweat, to show they had the upper hand. Some years later, as the export season was to commence in 2010, they dropped the 350kg live-weight bombshell on us, which suddenly made many 1000s of cattle ineligible due to being over weight for the "new" specs and if you could get them to take any slightly heavier cattle, the price paid was brought back considerably. Last winter - Many 10s of 1000s of cattle left WA's North for the eastern and Sth OZ markets at a financial loss to the station owner because of this. If it wasn't for high demand from the interstate buyers due to the great season they were having, many of our WA Station owners who were reliant on Indonesia would have been finished because of the 2010 export season! Indo bureaucracy does as it wants, when it wants and always has. They are in this as a business and for the money and at times with little care for us. Dont worry too much about offending. I dont!

“1. the MLA is the responsible authority......and they aren't. THEY jeopardized the live trade by not ensuring the animals were dealt with humanely.” I agree - The MLA and Live Corp have much responsibility to hold in this. Yes we farmers, well a number of us are trying to make them accountable right now. Including me personally. We fund them thru a compulsory levy. After 18 years we got to this stage. They had plenty of time to get the job done right, but they didn't! Ludwigs predecessor who knew of the Indonesian animal welfare issues 2 years ago and did nothing, also has a hell of a lot to answer to.

I am happy to hear the Export ban has been lifted on "APPROVED" facilities. Maybe some of the station owners can ease some of the loss they will make this season and the follow on affect it has to so many other Non Ag industries and business. This Indo situation is the last straw for me, my trust in their bureaucracy and their side of the export industry is gone. I have nil faith in the MLA or Live Corp and am not impressed by the previous Federal Ag minister and his staff. Not super impressed with the current one either, tho I would hate his job! So I wont be supplying cattle in the foreseeable future into Indonesia....

dinsdale said...


According to the news report it was fake blood!


Rubbish!!

Hiko said...

Cam 0063
Thank you for your post you obviously know more about it than most of us
I believe humans are humane one goes with the other
Its unfortunate that these sort of practices go on and only gets action when it comes to public attention
I remember in the 80,s in Queensland a truck was found filled with live CRIPPLED kangaroos that were being transported long distance until someone heard a noise inside at a truckstop I have never forgotten it but it would not surprise me if it still happened

dinsdale said...


+1

westozwind said...

As mentioned before, the idiotic govt. may have lifted the ban, but the Indonesians are going to have a field day with this.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/9804514/blow-to-farmers-as-jakarta-cools-on-quick-trade-deal/
They will source cattle from other countries that don't give a S$%t about animal welfare. The practices will continue, but NIMBY.

Little Jon said...


I'd sooner see the jobs in Australia for Australians. Unless someone finds some undiscovered cows people will need to buy their beef somewhere.

dinsdale said...
Brazil is waiting right now to slip into our markets.

log man said...
I think you'll find that hollowmen was written in the time of the most excellent Howard government.... ahhh it doesn't matter Gillard is responsible for the Howard government

Pugwash said...



Really?

Let me re-phrase that, BOLLOCKS!

The Hollowmen first aired July 2008, 8 months after we were blessed with Kevin 07 - who was so bad, the Labs own hollow men executed their own guy after some detailed programmatic specificity.