Question: Is there anything being done to stop the live export trade over in the middle eastern countries?

Hi Katies,

I am an animal welfare scientist and I don’t believe in ending the live export trade.

Live export has had a lot of media attention recently because there have been some examples of animals treated badly overseas. The reason why animals have been treated badly are because the people working with them don’t know of better ways to handle and manage animals to ensure good welfare. This doesn’t just apply to our animals, but to their animals and those coming in from countries other than Australia.

Because Australia exports animals live we have the opportunity to work with these countries to improve their animal welfare standards. There are two examples of how this is happening at the moment:

1. The Australian government has developed a series of animal welfare guidelines that all companies that receive our animals have to stand by. These guidelines (called ESCAS or Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System) are essentially a checklist that ensure animals are well treated as soon they leave Australia and for the rest of their lives. This program ensures a high standard of animal welfare, and if this is not maintained, the company/country receiving them will no longer be able to receive our animals.

2. The Australian cattle and sheep industry (Meat and Livestock Australia, or MLA) are developing a training package for workers in countries that receive our animals live. This aims to teach people what animal welfare is and how they can ensure good animal welfare. Many of the people that work with cattle and sheep in these countries don’t understand how to handle the animals appropriately, this is what leads to poor animal welfare. Teaching people about animal welfare not only improves the welfare of the animals we export, but also that of local animals.

I have been involved in developing the training package I described above.

I can honestly say that I believe that by maintaining a live export trade we have the opportunity to improve animal welfare in these countries on a large scale. If I didn’t believe this I wouldn’t be involved with this project, nor would I support the trade.

I can also give you plenty of first hand examples of how animal welfare has improved in these countries since these two programs were implemented. The most important change has been the understanding people have about what animal welfare is – now these workers (and managers) understand what animal welfare is and why it is important, whereas they didn’t before.

I would be really interested to hear your opinion of what I have to say. If you want to know any more about what I have said here, or have any further questions, please post them on the forum here, or email me rdoyle@csu.edu.au

I hope given you a little more information on the live export trade, and the importance it has to animal welfare.

Best of luck!
Bec