ID :
193501
Thu, 07/07/2011 - 13:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/193501
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Cattle shipments could start in August
Beef exporters say they expect to have the first cattle shipments leaving for Indonesia by August.
The federal government has lifted its suspension on the live export trade, which was imposed after shocking footage of animals being mistreated was aired on television.
It's now imposed a new requirement that exporters ensure animal welfare standards, from their departure in Australia to the slaughter floor.
Companies such as Wellard and Elders are now racing to upgrade their tracking systems and submit them for formal approval to the government's quarantine department.
Elders, which claims to have lost up to $7.3 million because of the ban, has a team in Indonesia inspecting its feedlot and abattoir, with a report due shortly.
Spokesman Don Murchland and another major exporter both told AAP the plan was to have the export permits in hand in a couple of weeks and start shipping in August.
But others have warned the lifting of the suspension is only the start of the process.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson warned it would take the industry a long time to recover.
"This tap is not turned back on full steam ahead," Mr Henderson told reporters in Darwin.
"We are still going to see potentially up to 100,000 head of cattle on pasture across the Northern Territory that wouldn't normally be there."
So far up to $38 million in compensation is on offer for farmers and workers, but Mr Henderson tipped that might need to increase.
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett warned on Thursday that shooting cattle was still a possibility given the overflow of cattle and no market in which to sell.
Industry figures and Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig conceded the trade won't reopen at its usual level - Australia usually sends about 500,000 head to Indonesia a year.
Elders alone - one of Australia's biggest exporters of live cattle - can only hold 8000 cattle at its feedlot and process 70 to 80 cattle a day at its abattoir once it gets the green light.
Animal activists aren't happy with the government's decision, condemning it for failing to insist on the "stunning" process.
"Stunning is the absolute basic premise that is needed to protect animals," Lyn White, the woman who shot the footage that sparked the suspension, told AAP.
"The minister himself said he can't guarantee that Australian animals won't be subjected to cruel practices.
"If that's the case, the trade should not have been reopened."
Under the government's new strategy, independent auditors will inspect Indonesian slaughterhouses to ensure they meet the international standards - but these standards do not mandate stunning.
Independents Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon have urged Prime Minister Julia Gillard to allow a conscience vote on phasing out live animal exports, and some Labor MPs are sympathetic to this.
Labor backbencher Kelvin Thomson said the policy should be "no stun, no deal".
"There are some serious questions concerning this matter that we will aim to resolve within the government," he said.
"The first concerns the issue of stunning - the simplest and most effective way is to stun them before slaughter."
Sid Parker, who sends 50,000 head to Indonesia each year through his South East Asia Livestock Services company, said he was hopeful of the trade resuming.
He said conditions in Indonesian abattoirs had greatly improved over the past two decades.
"Now we've got modern feedlots, modern trucks, a lot of work's been done and we just need to get back to business," he told AAP.
The federal government has lifted its suspension on the live export trade, which was imposed after shocking footage of animals being mistreated was aired on television.
It's now imposed a new requirement that exporters ensure animal welfare standards, from their departure in Australia to the slaughter floor.
Companies such as Wellard and Elders are now racing to upgrade their tracking systems and submit them for formal approval to the government's quarantine department.
Elders, which claims to have lost up to $7.3 million because of the ban, has a team in Indonesia inspecting its feedlot and abattoir, with a report due shortly.
Spokesman Don Murchland and another major exporter both told AAP the plan was to have the export permits in hand in a couple of weeks and start shipping in August.
But others have warned the lifting of the suspension is only the start of the process.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson warned it would take the industry a long time to recover.
"This tap is not turned back on full steam ahead," Mr Henderson told reporters in Darwin.
"We are still going to see potentially up to 100,000 head of cattle on pasture across the Northern Territory that wouldn't normally be there."
So far up to $38 million in compensation is on offer for farmers and workers, but Mr Henderson tipped that might need to increase.
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett warned on Thursday that shooting cattle was still a possibility given the overflow of cattle and no market in which to sell.
Industry figures and Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig conceded the trade won't reopen at its usual level - Australia usually sends about 500,000 head to Indonesia a year.
Elders alone - one of Australia's biggest exporters of live cattle - can only hold 8000 cattle at its feedlot and process 70 to 80 cattle a day at its abattoir once it gets the green light.
Animal activists aren't happy with the government's decision, condemning it for failing to insist on the "stunning" process.
"Stunning is the absolute basic premise that is needed to protect animals," Lyn White, the woman who shot the footage that sparked the suspension, told AAP.
"The minister himself said he can't guarantee that Australian animals won't be subjected to cruel practices.
"If that's the case, the trade should not have been reopened."
Under the government's new strategy, independent auditors will inspect Indonesian slaughterhouses to ensure they meet the international standards - but these standards do not mandate stunning.
Independents Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon have urged Prime Minister Julia Gillard to allow a conscience vote on phasing out live animal exports, and some Labor MPs are sympathetic to this.
Labor backbencher Kelvin Thomson said the policy should be "no stun, no deal".
"There are some serious questions concerning this matter that we will aim to resolve within the government," he said.
"The first concerns the issue of stunning - the simplest and most effective way is to stun them before slaughter."
Sid Parker, who sends 50,000 head to Indonesia each year through his South East Asia Livestock Services company, said he was hopeful of the trade resuming.
He said conditions in Indonesian abattoirs had greatly improved over the past two decades.
"Now we've got modern feedlots, modern trucks, a lot of work's been done and we just need to get back to business," he told AAP.
