Ludwig Orders Inquiry Into Indon Cattle

[WoofnHoof]

As far as I'm aware they don't have animal cruelty laws yet so I doubt there were any inspectors in there, apparently they have a draft law that hasn't been implemented so hopefully someone has had a fire lit up their bum to get that on the move.

[raz]

As far as I'm aware they don't have animal cruelty laws yet so I doubt there were any inspectors in there

As far as I'm aware, yes they do. The cruelty shown in the doco is also anti halal.

[greytpets]

I didn't see the 4 corners program but I watched the videos's on line. With 2 of the cattle they showed that they had falls before they were where they were supposed to be. One slipped & fell (& broke a leg)while still in a small holding yard & he was tortured in an attempt to get him up. The other one fell going up a ramp & also couldn't get up & he was also tortured in an attempt to get him up. Boxes & stun guns wouldn't have prevented their torture.

For that reason & others I believe live export should be stopped.

[k9angel]

Calls for cattle trade to be resumed

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/9641726/calls-for-cattle-trade-to-resume/

Politicians across the country have called on the federal government to resume live cattle exports as Australia's diplomatic representative in Indonesia tried to talk down the impact of the ban on bilateral relations.

Australia's Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty said even if live exports resumed soon, it would be a "considerable" time before trade could return to pre-suspension levels.

But he downplayed the impact of the ban, made in the wake of a report on the ABC's Four Corners program showing mistreatment of cattle in a number of Indonesian abattoirs.

"We are very much of the view that this is animal welfare issue. It says nothing about Indonesia more generally," he said in Jakarta.

"A number of Indonesian ministers and other senior leaders have made that very clear, that this issue is one that is not about the broader bilateral relationship."

The Northern Territory parliament put politics aside to call on the federal government to start sending livestock back to Indonesia as soon as possible.

NT Chief Minister Paul Henderson on Wednesday night told parliament the temporary ban on the live cattle trade was a necessary circuit breaker but a prolonged suspension would devastate the economic, social, cultural and environmental fabric of the Northern Territory.

He called on parliament to support live export within acceptable animal welfare standards.

"(We resolve) to work cooperatively to support the progressive and expeditious accreditation of supply chains into Indonesia ... and the immediate resumption of cattle supply to these supply chains."

Speaker of the NT legislative assembly Jane Aagaard recalled parliament at the request of the NT Labor government and the NT Country Liberal opposition.

The five part motion, which was drafted in consultation with the NT Cattlemen's Association (NTCA) and passed by the parliament on Wednesday night, came after discussions between NTCA executive director Luke Bowen and Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig in Canberra.

Following the meeting, Mr Bowen told ABC Radio he believed the live trade to Indonesia would resume in a matter of weeks.

Veteran coalition MP Bruce Scott, who represents rural Queensland's largest electorate, made a plea to Prime Minister Julia Gillard asking her to resume live cattle exports within weeks.

Nationals leader Warren Truss said exports to approved abattoirs could be resumed almost immediately if the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS), which is not compulsory for all cattle stations, was extended to northern Australia.

"All we've got to do is put the tags on the animals as they leave the country," he said.

The government has suspended for up to six months live cattle exports to Indonesia, pending an independent audit of the supply chain.

Labor's caucus has gone further, voting to ban live exports until Indonesia slaughterhouses comply with international standards.

Mr Truss said the coalition agreed with the government's initial decision to ban exports to about a dozen abattoirs where Australian cattle were being brutally mistreated.

But Mr Truss said government was "dawdling around" a solution to the crisis.

"They've changed their minds so many times, no-one knows what's going on."

Independent MP Tony Windsor also is keen to see exports resume to approved Indonesian abattoirs.

"There should not be re-engagement in my view with those abattoirs that have displayed cruelty to animals but there is quite a number that do have the correct protocols," he said.

Labor backbencher Kelvin Thomson said there was much capacity for cattle to be processed in Australian abattoirs.

However, with no commercial-scale abattoirs in the NT or northern Western Australia, graziers claim it is not viable to export processed beef products out of northern Australia.

[WoofnHoof]

"All we've got to do is put the tags on the animals as they leave the country,"

If only it were that easy.

[casowner]

While this is getting sorted the cattle are stuck in holding pens

Media on cattle at wharves

Export ban risks starvation 'on an unprecedented scale' June 14, 2011

Comments 18

Up to 5000 head of cattle marked for export but now left in limbo at Nick Thorne's export yard south of Darwin since the federal governments ban on live exports. Photo: Glenn Campbell

Full index of stories

The Federal Parliament's sole veterinarian says Australia faces its own animal welfare disaster if 150,000 cattle cannot be exported.

The Gillard government has suspended the live cattle trade to Indonesia following a television report showing some abattoirs using brutal killing methods.

Advertisement: Story continues below The suspension could last for up to six months pending an investigation into the supply chain to ensure that international standards are upheld.

But Chris Back, a Liberal senator and vet who specialises in cattle welfare, told a joint party room meeting in Canberra there was an urgent need to come to the aid of export cattle at wharves and other places.

Senator Back said the trade should be resumed immediately to the six big abattoirs in Indonesia that currently exceeded international standards. That would cater for about half of the 13,000 cattle now on Australian wharves.

He said that, unless exports were resumed, within three to four weeks more than 150,000 cattle would be too heavy to be exported and too underweight to be brought south to domestic abattoirs.

Unless they were to be shot they would have to be set loose on the rangelands of northern Australia, he said, which would be an "animal welfare disaster".

"We will see starvation of animals on an unprecedented scale and an environmental catastrophe on the rangelands that will take 100 years to recover from," Senator Back told the meeting.

Indian cattle, which would replace Australian exports to Indonesia, could reintroduce foot and mouth disease to the archipelago, which could in turn threaten the Australian industry.

The live cattle debate dominated most of the Liberal-Nationals party room meeting, with 15 members speaking on this issue.

It was also an issue in the Labor caucus, with a motion passing unanimously for live cattle exports to Indonesia not to resume until "all slaughterhouses receiving Australian cattle comply with international standards, encouraging the use of stunning and requiring ongoing independent monitoring".

But the motion appeared to be a watered-down version of that originally intended by some members of the Labor caucus who want a phasing out of all live exports, in favour of a bigger domestic industry.

Meanwhile, peak industry body Meat and Livestock Australia has rejected a request from the federal government to use contingency funds to help cattle growers affected by the suspension of the trade with Indonesia.

Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig has written to the MLA proposing it release $5 million in contingency funding.

Senator Ludwig said the MLA was ‘‘critically placed’’ to help the industry through the suspension period.The minister also warned he was prepared to force MLA to release the funding.

MLA chairman Don Heatley said in a statement this afternoon his organisation had declined the minister’s request.

‘‘The industry’s priority is to direct available resources into implementing urgent measures in Indonesia to assure the welfare of Australian cattle and give government the confidence to reopen the trade,’’ Mr Heatley said.

‘‘Reinstating this trade under an accredited supply chain is the most effective means to provide financial security to cattle producers and businesses across northern Australia.’’

Mr Heatley said the MLA was focused on resuming the live cattle trade with Indonesia, but would ‘‘engage with government to find a practical solution’’.

AAP

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/export-ban-risks-starvation-on-an-unprecedented-scale-20110614-1g1d5.html#ixzz1PQXy8TH1

Edited June 16, 2011 by casowner

[k9angel]

While this is getting sorted the cattle are stuck in holding pens

Media on cattle at wharves

Poor buggers. I feel so sorry for these animals and what they are having to go through. It's so unfair.

Edited June 16, 2011 by k9angel

[casowner]

A note from the Chairman - on the ground in Indonesia

Dear MLA member,

On Tuesday, I stressed that MLA’s priority is the urgent implementation of measures to assure the welfare of Australian cattle in Indonesia. Only this will give Government the confidence to reopen the livestock export trade.

With that in mind, I’d like to provide you with an update on the activities that industry is currently undertaking on the ground in Indonesia.

The Industry–Government Working Group on Live Animal Exports – of which MLA is an integral part – is developing a stringent supply chain assurance program from the vessel to the feedlot and on to the point of processing, verified by the use of a traceability system.

MLA has a team of experts working with the Indonesian cattle importers to further improve standards at the 25 best facilities processing Australian cattle.

Increased stunning

There are now 11 Indonesian facilities using stunning equipment. Building on the five that were already in use, we have assisted another two facilities to install stunning equipment and an Indonesian importer has supplied another four facilities. A further three facilities have been identified to have stunning installed as a priority. Expert training has been delivered with the MLA/Livecorp team providing additional technical support.

Improved infrastructure

A program to review abattoir infrastructure and design has commenced. This will develop alternative options based on a Temple Grandin standing slaughter design, which will allow for both stunning and processing in the standing position. Designs will consider local conditions, including the lack of electricity, and skill levels to allow it to be manually operated.

OIE compliance assurance program

An audit checklist for all sectors of the livestock import trade in Indonesia will be used to assess whether their operations comply with OIE standards. Individual feedlots and abattoirs will need to have management procedures in place for staff training, maintaining equipment, feed programs, management of cattle and slaughter procedures.

Traceability of cattle within Indonesia

A team is urgently developing a traceability system for Indonesia. This will require importers to trace animals from the vessel into the feedlot, and then out of the feedlot and into the abattoir.

Training animal welfare officers

MLA will train 30 animal welfare officers during June. These animal welfare officers will be stationed in all facilities processing Australian cattle. The training will cover animal handling training, Halal slaughter practices, standard operating procedures, hygiene and stunning training.

Increased training for Indonesian abattoir workers

A team of eight Australian stock handling experts have conducted intensive training programs in 10 key facilities over the past two weeks. By 24 June there will be a team of 15–20 stock handling experts conducting training at 20 processing facilities.

The work that our staff are doing on the ground in Indonesia is absolutely critical to improving the welfare of Australian cattle processed in Indonesia. This, in turn, will give Government renewed confidence in the trade so they can promptly re-open it.

We also hope that increasing animal welfare standards in these key Indonesian facilities will give impetus to animal welfare initiatives across the Indonesian industry.

It will not be easy, but we are committed to the speedy resumption of the trade to Indonesia.

Yours faithfully,

Don Heatley

Chairman

Meat & Livestock Australia

[felix]

That's exactly what I said the other day, but the response I got was not really friendly.

Edited June 16, 2011 by felix

[raz]

"All we've got to do is put the tags on the animals as they leave the country,"

If only it were that easy.

Why isnt it that easy? They're all tagged anyway, now they just get tagged with an electronic tracking device as well. If it wasnt easy the Europeans wouldnt have implemented the system.

[PossumCorner]

.... Dear MLA member, ....

On Tuesday, I stressed that MLA's priority is the urgent implementation of measures to assure the welfare of Australian cattle in Indonesia. Only this will give Government the confidence to reopen the livestock export trade.

.... We also hope that increasing animal welfare standards in these key Indonesian facilities will give impetus to animal welfare initiatives across the Indonesian industry.

It will not be easy, but we are committed to the speedy resumption of the trade to Indonesia. ....

Chairman

Meat & Livestock Australia

Jeeze I am so unimpressed. So they have done in a week what should have been done while they sat on their money-grubbing hands for the past ten years. And still relying on some pie in the sky "hope" that it will be influential "across the Indonesian industry". (no guarantee, no assurance). Marvellous. And no prime reason for these actions appears based on addressing cruelty: it's economics based. Too little too late in my opinion, or maybe too little for a too-soon resumption of the status quo.

[WoofnHoof]

"All we've got to do is put the tags on the animals as they leave the country,"

If only it were that easy.

Why isnt it that easy? They're all tagged anyway, now they just get tagged with an electronic tracking device as well. If it wasnt easy the Europeans wouldnt have implemented the system.

The guy was talking about tagging as if it were a solution to the whole problem, it isn't, it's like saying microchipping is the solution to the puppy farm problem. Tagging them isn't going to ensure that they only go through approved abattoirs, it has to be backed up by policy and enforcement.

The proposed improvements sound good on paper but I'm more interested in what's happening on the ground, I'd like to see a follow up report on how those changes are working in the most practical sense they should be being implemented now before trade resumes so that it's up and running well by the time we are ready to supply cattle again.

[raz]

The guy was talking about tagging as if it were a solution to the whole problem, it isn't, it's like saying microchipping is the solution to the puppy farm problem.

It's a solution to ensuring the chain from aus docks to approved feedlots to approved abbatoirs. The europeans are using the system - I think this should be mandatory in Aus anyway.