Australia: Stand up to live export cruelty

6 November 2012

Today, every MP in Australia needs to hear one important message: The actions of the world's largest live exporter, Wellard, have contributed to Australia's worst live export disaster. They must be held to account and lose their export licence.

How did it happen?

When a shipload of 21,000 sheep was rejected by Bahrain, Wellard had no legitimate contingency plan (despite this being a requirement of their export permit). They considered two options: 1. Kill the animals at sea and dump their bodies overboard; 2. Pakistan — a country that didn't even have government approval to take sheep when the ship left Australia.

To avoid another disaster at sea, the Australian government fast tracked Pakistan's approval to receive the sheep. But there was a glaring omission in this plan. Wellard failed to ensure that the Pakistan Government were willing to import a shipment that had been rejected by Bahrain over disease concerns.

Whether the animals were healthy or not became irrelevant — the Pakistan Government felt they had been deliberately deceived. Local authorities ordered the animals be culled, and Wellard lost complete control. Deemed 'unfit' for human consumption, and without economic value, these animals were treated like worthless rubbish. Animals were dragged, beaten, their throats were sawn at with blunt knives before they were thrown into mass graves — some still alive hours later....


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Quote: "We could have a similar incident in any of our [live export] markets"
— Phillip Glyde, Dept. of Agriculture

Source: Stand up to live export cruelty
Author: Animals Australia

Link: Graphic Video - Export Disaster Pakistan
Link: Greens back union to ban live exports


Other EVANA-articles about this topic:
Australia urged to end live exports (en)