Live export suspension sends ‘wrong message’
8th June, 2011
Joint Media ReleaseHon Warren Truss MP
Hon John Cobb MP
THE total suspension of the live cattle trade to Indonesia will do nothing to help the animal welfare cause – in fact, it sends the wrong message by also penalising facilities that have acted to deliver best practice reform, Leader of The Nationals Warren Truss and Shadow Agriculture Minister John Cobb said today.
The best message the government could send to processers in Indonesia is that we will only do business with those who meet our expectations on animal care and treatment, sending cattle exclusively to compliant abattoirs. That would have been entirely justifiable and encouraged attitudinal and behavioural change.
Unless the government moves very quickly to accredit Indonesia’s best practice abattoirs, today’s ban will just see Indonesia import live cattle from elsewhere and animal welfare standards will not be improved.
When the Coalition was in government we moved decisively to ban shipments to Egypt following evidence of animal cruelty. There were no facilities in Egypt meeting our animal welfare expectations, so the trade was suspended entirely until we were assured that abattoir practices met OIE requirements.
But in Indonesia we are told there are 25 abattoirs – A and B grade facilities – that comply with internationally agreed standards. Restricting trade to these facilities would have created market pressure for others to lift their game.
We could have also restricted exports to abattoirs with modern Australia-supplied stunning and slaughter equipment. The government’s decision to ban these facilities undermines the credibility of Australia as a trusted leader in animal welfare and shows how this government is tied to the Greens, having made its announcement today without any plan to deal with the fallout for the industry.
The announcement will cause an immediate drop in the cattle market across Australia and devalue existing meat in stores. There is now no market for many of northern Australia’s cattle.
The government’s constantly changing position has destroyed the authority of the Minister and left northern Australians asking whether there is anyone in the Labor government who will ever stand up for them.
Cattle producers will be asking what’s next for the industry and does the government have any plan at all?
* Will the government provide assistance to open up new markets in lieu of the Indonesian market?
* What compensation package does the Minister for Agriculture have in mind for the sector stuck with cattle it can no longer sell and the lost value of existing assets?
* What contingencies will the government now trigger to deal with existing contracts for both cattle and shipping charter and with the animals already in Indonesia?
* What does the government propose happens to livestock currently in holding facilities awaiting transport?
* What will cattle producers do with the animals they have in the paddock, costing them money every day that sales are delayed?
Cattle producers across the top end are now facing extreme uncertainty. There are no abattoirs in northern Australia and no alternative markets. Bans on live exports do not result in new markets for chilled or frozen boxed meat.
If exporters could process and sell packaged meat they would have done so already. For one thing, it is a substantially more valuable than the live trade. We know from experience that when live exports are halted – such as the ban on cattle to Egypt or sheep to Saudi Arabia – demand for boxed meat does not rise. That’s because live trade meets very specific needs.
In these markets we are often talking about far flung villages where refrigeration simply does not exist.
In no way can what we saw on Four Corners ever be condoned. Trade, in all its forms, breaks down barriers, delivers behavioural change and sees modern values enhanced. Sound animal care and husbandry practices are no exception.
Banning the trade undermines the very means of affecting attitudinal or behavioural change. Clearly, more needs to be done. But Australia is the only country in the world actively working to improve animal care in markets.
Surely what is unacceptable for Australian animals is also unacceptable for other cattle, including those born in Indonesia, India or Argentina. We should use our influence as the major supplier to insist on the highest quality animal welfare reform.
By abandoning what has been achieved to date, along with our place in the market, we also abandon our authority to demand better animal treatment.
[ENDS]
