JEDDAH, 25 September 2006 — Australia claims to have emerged as a world leader in livestock export standards. “An independent study demonstrates that Australia has the world’s highest standards,” Nigel Brown, Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) manager of livestock services in the Middle East & Africa Region, told Arab News yesterday.
“The study, commissioned from a major agricultural research organization by the Australian meat and livestock industries, has found that Australia has ‘world-best livestock export standards’ when compared with the main exporting countries including Mexico, the United States, China and South American and African countries,” he said.
“Improving animal welfare standards is, and always will be, our top priority in Australia and overseas. That’s why we’re continuing to help countries receiving our animals,” Brown said, adding that the study report had been released at the same time that a radical animal activist group has been campaigning in the Middle East against the live export industry.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an organization that strongly promotes a vegan philosophy. Its members believe animals should not be used for food (milk, meat, laban, cheese, etc.), clothing, or as a companion or work animals or for medical research. “They are against pets, seeing-eye dogs and horse-riding... even goldfish,” Brown said.
“We all know that live trade into this region will continue from many different countries. They should be assisting people to make positive improvements or, at least, putting pressure on countries with no standards. This policy is certainly doing nothing to advance animal welfare in the Middle East. In fact, it is self-defeating by diverting time, energy and resources away from the real work of assisting progress,” he added.
The Australian standards, developed and strongly regulated by government officials, are also monitored by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
He said Cameron Morse, editor of Western Australia’s The Countryman newspaper recently checked for himself PETA’s allegations by making a three-week journey from Australia to Jordan aboard the livestock ship MV Becrux, which safely unloaded nearly 58,000 sheep.
“Morse found that animal activists’ claims about poor conditions on board were ‘simply not accurate.’ Each sheep has access to as much food as it wants... (I have) yet to see an empty feed bin or water trough,” Brown said.
“We need sensible, evidence-based policy, not publicity-seeking stunts from radicals who have ulterior motives. Without an Australian presence in the global market, there would be less drive to make the changes needed to lift global animal welfare standards. Animal activists don’t seem to live in the real world when it comes to the Middle East,” Brown said.
According to him, the Australian Meat and Livestock Association has a $20 million export marketing budget.
Australia’s funding comes from a levy on each financial transaction during the course of an animal’s life while New Zealand’s comes from a single levy on the slaughter of animals. Australia raises $151 million, New Zealand $32 million. Australia is really active in all markets, they are changing sheep breeds with more emphasis on meat. They are producing many New Zealand-type products, their packaging has improved, and with massive financial resources for promotion they are going big on trade fairs like New Zealand used to have.”
