Another live export failure

[davidc4430]

Live export of 63,000 sheep may be blocked if Emanuel Export does not meet animal welfare guidelines

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-06/agriculture-department-threatens-to-block-live-export-shipment...

[chameleon54]

https://www.nambuccaguardian.com.au/story/5858643/animals-australia-under-siege/

Animals Australia, the group who claims responsibility for the shocking footage taken on export ships is accused of paying workers on the ships to deliberately fabricate and expose the animals to cruelty in order to film the results. It is claimed one live ship worker offered to turn off the ventilation fans and water supply in order to film animals suffering in exchange for payment from Animals Australia. There are further claims the " Whistleblower " at the centre of the Four Corners footage on live sheep exports has been paid over $50,000 for his footage.. 

While I don't support the live ship trade and don't sell my own animals to the trade, it is concerning that militant animal activists would pay ship workers to deliberately sabotage the ships ventilation and water systems in order to fabricate footage which is then broadcast on national television. By financially rewarding often poorly paid international ship workers large sums of money, Animals Australia is encouraging a situation where animals will be deliberately harmed and treated cruelly in order to film the results for activist purposes.

While the intention may be good, deliberately harming animals to obtain footage which is then used to enrage the general public is unconscionable and shows the fraudulant depths these groups are willing to go in order to decieve  the public.

Lets have the debate, but at least do it in an honest way without deliberately lying to and deceiving people who know nothing about the subject.

[imastawka]

What the hell is wrong with these people??!!!

Revoke their charity status immediately, I say, and if it can be proved, have them prosecuted to the fullest extent the law will allow.

[kopenhagen5]

I don't think a debate is good enough.

I think private organizations as these have had more then their fair share of chances at self regulating.

Either strict policed controls are in place for ethical humane exports or not at all.

Rules need to be dictated to prevent capitalists greed from lowering standards.

Very tough policies ARE the only option. As we have learnt, give em an inch........they take a foot.

[davidc4430]

i think the important word is

ACCUSED

not proven as yet, saying something might have happened is not proving it did happen.

i'd like to think turning off a ventilation system would kinda set off some kind of alarm system.

i dont know, but even if it didnt surely someone would notice if the place wasnt being ventilated?

but maybe they payed everyone onboard to help the cause and destroy the business they rely on for their paypackets.

just another darn good reason to stop this trade if its proven you can pay someone to turn off the ventilation.

[chameleon54]

While the matter has not been investigated by police ( why not ? Surely it is as bad as the needles in strawberries case ) it appears some of the claims have been proven and are not disputed by Animals Australia. These include the $50k + unaccounted funds that have appeared in the main " whistleblowers"  bank account and the fact that Animals Australia has been actively offering tens of thousands of dollars to ship workers from poor countries for any footage of distressed sheep on live sheep boats.

The " cash for cruelty "  payments are an open invitation for workers on live ship boats to " engineer " acts of cruelty in order to claim the rewards being offered by Animals Australia. In effect the organisation is encouraging and paying live sheep workers to commit acts of cruelty in order to attain fraudulent footage for its campaigns.

The most disappointing aspect of the whole saga is that Animals Australia's reputation and social licence is now in tatters at a time when there are still improvements to be made in farming practices. We are still caging chickens for egg production and factory farming meat poultry growers in crowded, inhumane sheds. The mulesing of sheep is another area that either needs major improvements or phasing out over time as is the practice of removing dairy calves from their mothers soon after birth.

There have been major improvements in Australian farm animal husbandry over the last couple of decades, often in response to concerns in the wider community. It would be unfortunate if the fraudulent activities of extreme animal rights organisations such as Animals Australia & PETA turned people away from encouraging the ongoing improvement in livestock farming practices. 

[chameleon54]

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@davidc4430 wrote:

i think the important word is

ACCUSED

not proven as yet, saying something might have happened is not proving it did happen.

i'd like to think turning off a ventilation system would kinda set off some kind of alarm system.

i dont know, but even if it didnt surely someone would notice if the place wasnt being ventilated?

but maybe they payed everyone onboard to help the cause and destroy the business they rely on for their paypackets.

just another darn good reason to stop this trade if its proven you can pay someone to turn off the ventilation.

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Sorry david, but I have to say it. That is a rather sad statement from some-one who lives in one of the richest countries on the planet and shows no understanding at all of what the millions of poor, exploited workers from less fortunate nations have to cope with daily.

The workers on international freight ships are regularly away from their families for months at a time. They are paid a pittance and the prospect of receiving tens of thousands of dollars from Animals Australia would be like a once in a life time lottery win for them. They also often come from countries which have different standards and values on animal welfare to Australia.

The payments by Animals Australia would be more than enough incentive to convince them to put a pen of animals under duress in order to obtain footage for Animals Australia's campaigns. Once they are paid tens of thousands of dollars they would be immensely wealthy compared to their peers, making the loss of employment in the Australian live ship trade rather unimportant when compared with their own personal gain.. Not only is Animals Australias activities abhorent from an animal ethics and moral perspective, it is also exploiting vulnerable overseas ship workers.

[davidc4430]

your missing my point, payments even if they were paid do not prove guilt of any 'on purpose' sabotage.

maybe, just maybe, the conditions shown in the leaked videos is exactly the conditions on board that ship?

i think gathering the video proof of something actually real is much easier to believe than some consperacy about sabotage.

its taken how long since those videos were made public for this theory to emerge that the whole thing was set up by paid off worker/s.

you would think if there was genuine proof someone tampered with the ventilating system someone would have known real soon after the story leaked if not before.

personally i believe there was no skulldugery, the videos just showed exactly what goes on on those ships.

as to payments for information, well, thats been going on for ever. it doesnt make the 'whitleblower' a criminal.