Greens call for an end to live exports

Submitted by Louise Sales on Tue, 31/05/2011 - 09:50

Hon. Lynn MacLaren MLC, the Greens WA Spokesperson for Animals,  joined the call from the Australian Greens today for the Federal Government to stop live cattle exports to Indonesia immediately, in light of graphic evidence of exported Australian cattle being inhumanly treated at Indonesian abattoirs. The shocking cruelty inflicted on Australian cattle exported to Indonesia was documented on ABC’s Four Corners program last night.

“Live exports cause unnecessary suffering and should be stopped altogether. If we continue to export animals to countries with little or no animal welfare protection, these animals will suffer unnecessarily. If we stop live exports we can stop this suffering and increase local jobs in meat processing,” Ms MacLaren said.

On average, 180,000 cattle are exported from WA to Indonesia from the ports of Broome, Fremantle, Geraldton and Wyndham. In 2010 a total of 170 555 cattle were exported to Indonesia from Western Australia. Already this year, 7,010 cattle have been exported to Indonesia.

“I’d like to know whether cattle from Western Australia have been sent to the abattoirs which are now banned. How long have these animals suffered these practices?” said Ms MacLaren.

“The Agriculture Minister answered questions in Parliament last week and advised me that the major destinations in Indonesia are Belawan, Dumai, Jakarta–Tanjung Priok, Panjang and Surabaya, which account for more than 97 per cent of Western Australian cattle imported into Indonesia, Ms MacLaren added.

“How do we know that the treatment documented on Four Corners isn’t happening elsewhere?” Ms MacLaren concluded.Tonight’s Four Corners will be an explosive expose of the cruelty inflicted on Australian cattle exported to the slaughterhouses of Indonesia.

The Four Corners program A Bloody Business will be replayed on Tuesday 31st May at 11.35pm. The program can also be seen on ABC News 24 at 8.00pm on Saturday on iview or at abc.net.au/4corners.

Australia's live export industry has already suspended cattle shipments to three Indonesian slaughterhouses in what is seen as a bid to pre-empt the program. The live export industry fears the story will trigger a Federal Government ban on the $500 million industry.