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...

[lyhargr_0]

This cruel, barbaric practice needs to be totally banned asap   ......

[davidc4430]

Live exports: Maritime officials block shipment of 65,000 sheep to the Middle East

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-08/maritime-officials-block-live-export-65000-sheep-to-middle-eas...

the silence is deafening from our small but vocal supporters of the live animal trade.

i thought we would have had at leat 1 come out of the woodwork to say 'its fake news' or some such rubbish.

[lyhargr_0]

How can anyone look at the footage shown on the ABC last night and STILL support live trade export? If you do, then you truly have no heart or conscience 😞

[davidc4430]

After listening to a guy on tv last night continually saying how australia has the highest standards in the worl re live exports i had a great idea.

lets put live streaming cameras on board every transport ship, cover the whole ship, 24/7. have the cameras feed rotating cam to cam every few minutes.

so anyone at any time of day can 'tune in' and see just how this "Worlds Best Practice" is working.

IF its as good as we are led to believe and these terrible incidents are just 'one offs" then why not?

the technology exists, use it.

[tasfleur]

Brilliant idea David, full applause!

[davidc4430]

Live export is a centuries-old Australian industry, but the cameras are new

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-11/australias-history-of-animal-exports/9640502

so we've been doing this since 1788 and we still havent got it right.

what hope the latest outrageous videos will make any difference?

[*kazumi*]

What I do not get is how can it be lot more expensive to send them dead and frozen?
I mean to send them alive they have to have certain space per animal, and the ceilings must be high enough for people to work there (looks like more than 2.5m in the footage).  There have to be enough people to feed 65 000 sheep, and clean after them.  There has to be storage for the animal feed and drinking water.  And even in ideal conditions the animals are likely to be stressed and lose condition.  Who wants to eat meat from sickly animals?

If the government would encourage the Muslim community to open halal abattoirs in regional areas, the animals could be slaughtered near where they were raised, frozen and shipped as a high quality product.  Can you imagine how many dead sheep can be transported in the space needed for one alive one?  I bet it would be 15.  And that is not accounting for the animal carers, vet, and food and water storage. 

Australia has reputation for good quality meat, but shocking images like these can seriously endanger our trade.

By the way, we have been getting our meat directly from a farmer, who has his grassfed animals slaughtered locally, and then delivers in his refrigerated van to Melbourne.  The difference is amazing. 

[davidc4430]

Live animal exports

https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/Briefin...

The live export trade is dominated by exports of cattle (which comprise 90% of total live exports) and account for 2.7% of Australian agricultural exports from 2006–2009. In this period the total value of live exports was $5,886.6 million for cattle and $311.9 million for sheep (in current prices).

I thought we were talking about a much higher percentage of our global trade in sheep and cattle!

3%?

only 3% is live trade!

End it now guys, this is rediculous, we are getting a terrible reputation on the world stage for 3%!

if we cant live without that 3% there is something wrong.

[chameleon54]

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@davidc4430wrote:

Live animal exports

https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/Briefin...

The live export trade is dominated by exports of cattle (which comprise 90% of total live exports) and account for 2.7% of Australian agricultural exports from 2006–2009. In this period the total value of live exports was $5,886.6 million for cattle and $311.9 million for sheep (in current prices).

I thought we were talking about a much higher percentage of our global trade in sheep and cattle!

3%?

only 3% is live trade!

End it now guys, this is rediculous, we are getting a terrible reputation on the world stage for 3%!

if we cant live without that 3% there is something wrong.

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Not trying to defend the indefensable, just clarifying a few things.  

The vast bulk of sheep meat produced in Australia is prime lamb. Other than a few animals that are kept with tails and boys bits entire for specific religous purposes,  the live export trade mainly deals in mature aged Merino wethers. Basically a prime lamb and a mature Merino Wether are completely different things. The live export trade could possibly ( at a guess ) take up to 20% - 30% of the adult Merino wether flock, ( Those shown in the OP link where Merino Wethers ). These animals are kept on farm, past lamb stage, shorn a couple of times for their fleece and sold to the boat trade as mature adults.

This limits there market to some extent as they are no longer Prime lamb.

Having said that, the dynamics in the Australian sheep industry are such at the moment that now is as good a time as any to halt the boat trade. Wool prices are at record levels and the Merino Wethers are the highest producing wool animal of all sheep types. Cull adult Merino sheep are also selling very strongly to the Australian meat processing industry. Basically other than the dry weather and Thomas foods fire, the Merino industry is in excellent shape to absorb the closure of Live export.

And yes, I agree with you David, that the damage being done to Australias reputation as a sheep supplier is being damaged to a greater extent than the any benifits the live export trade may bring.

It is interesting to note that the major rural business Elders announced last week that it had sold its Indonesian Cattle feedlot and meat processing facility as it was exiting the Indonesian Live cattle export trade. ( The Chinese purchased it of course )