Luke Misthos reports
Live exports are an invaluable part of the Australian economy and a restriction or ban would have a resounding impact on the economy.
The $24 billion industry contributes two billion dollars to the economy each year and has created over 10, 000 jobs, mainly in remote areas.
A spokesperson from the Australian Live Exporters Council suggests a ban on exports would cost the economy more than it would gain.
“A cessation of livestock exports would impose a net cost of about $300 million annually on livestock farmers, and it would only generate around $100 million,” he said.
“Live exports create thousands of jobs and contribute two billion dollars to the economy each year, I don’t think this can be understated,” he continued.
“I’ve seen a real cultural change in the industry”.
Since the release of the Emanuel Exports footage which showed 2,400 sheep sweltering in a container bound for the middle-east, the Ban Live Exports movement has gained traction.
With over 1.5 million Facebook supporters and close to 400,000 signatures on a petition to ban live exports, Animals Australia are at the forefront of the fight.
“Animals should be treated with the same respect as humans,” says Andrew Smith, a media analyst for Animals Australia.
“They are not cargo, the barbaric ways they are transported needs to stop. The Government fails to meet community expectations and protect animals,” he continued.
Mr Smith went on to outline what happens behind closed doors is worse than the Emanuel Exports disaster.
“What happened last August is only confronting because we have footage. Imagine if we had footage of the wrangling and tagging of the animals, people might actually act.”
Allan Piggott, President of Sheep Producers Australia disagrees and says farmers are just as distraught as the public when safety standards are not met.
"Safety is extremely important, all sheep producers are disappointed about the footage that was shared,” he said. “Nobody is going to condone that situation.”
Mr. Piggott believes the release of the McArthur Report, which outlines 23 provisions to
increase animal welfare, will help continue Australia’s high exporting standards.
“I’ve seen a real culture change in the industry, exporters are talking to sheep producers to find a shared vision to increase standards,” he said. “This is above and beyond the welfare of what we’ve seen before.”
Last week the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources released a document outlining how fundamental live exports are to the agriculture industry.
Since January, Australia has exported just under 675, 000 live animals with the main recipients being Qatar (165,390), Indonesia (114,755) and Kuwait (102,757).
Sheep, goats and cattle are the most popular to be shipped with a majority either going to feeders, slaughter or breeders.
Australia’s exportation numbers are amongst the top 10 in the world and live exports contribute to the seven-billion dollar red meat industry.
Social media has been rampant with calls to stop and limit live exports, but we must look at the other side. The industry provides thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the economy.
While the footage was abhorrent to the TOSSer community, please consider the other side and how we rely on these trades to contribute to our economy and create jobs in rural communities.
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