Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Indonesian abattoirs fail on humane killing of Australian live exports

See the screenshot I've posted up. The cows in line at that abattoir were trembling with fear and terror as they watched the cows next to them get maimed and slaughtered, skinned and cut up before their very eyes. They are afraid and terrified. 
 
Have you ever watched the distress on an animal's face?


It was very distressing to see what happened to Australian cattles that are exported live to abattoirs in Indonesia. If humans treated each other like that we'd be screaming cruelty and begging for our rights.

To open your eyes about what is happening in various slaughterhouses across Indonesia, watch this Four Corners/Animal Australia/RSPCA expose 'A Bloody Business': http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20110530/cattle/

What about animals? How can they express themselves when we don't understand them? I can certainly see why some friends have become vegetarians and the longer I live, the more I am turning towards a diet predominantly featuring more vegetables and fruits with very minimal meat. 

I have no grudge against live export or meat consumption but please slaughter the animals as humanely as possible and don't torture them. Ever.

Instead, at the Indonesian and Egyptian abattoirs, they whip the cows, caning their heads with sticks, cut their muscle tendons so that they can't get up, slash their necks multiple times for 'halal' killings and the terrified cows can sometimes struggle for several minutes in absolute terror and pain before finally dying. What can be more distressing than the poor animal seeing it's dead friend on the floor with the head sawn off and the smell of its blood permeating the air? Or trying to stand up but slip because the floor is thick with blood and faeces from previous slaughters?


Cameron Hall, the CEO of LiveCorp was interviewed and all he did was waffle, waffle and waffle. He says, "We know that poor practices have to be improved and that's what we're working hard in the market place to do." Despite the same poor abattoir practices existing in the 1990s until now.

Professor Ivan Caple who is supposedly a 'Leader' of the 'animal welfare review team' was interviewed giving glowing reviews of the practices that he witnessed in Indonesian slaughterhouses. WTF?! "A couple of the handlers were a little bit exuberant with the use of a goad and a very long pointy stick, sometimes a finger were in eye sockets...all of those issues can be picked up by a trainer." The problem is- where are the trainers?? They had over 10 years to rectify this issue and implement training but why hasn't it happened?

If the live animal export industry wants to continue, they need to face up to this problem in Indonesia and in abattoirs elsewhere. Live exports to abattoirs that aren't compliant with humane standards of operations need to be ceased immediately. Until they fully comply, they shouldn't be receiving any Australian livestock.

There are so many things that they can do to try and minimise the bleak conditions of the abattoirs over there:
  • They should have an experienced staff from Australia over there monitoring the abattoir and providing training programs
  • Supply them with stun guns (if that helps minimise the suffering?)
  • Open up their own professionally operated and managed abattoirs that complies with Australian standards
  • Keep providing training sessions and establish standards for abattoirs to comply with in order to qualify for live exports 
  • Allow animal welfare associations to visit the premises at any time to evaluate the conditions to ensure that they are complying with welfare standards
Don't stick your head in the sand, take action against this cruelty whether you're Australian or a reader from another country:

3 comments:

  1. You have said everything I was going to say. What an outrage. If ever there was a reason to ban live export this is it. This industry has had 30years to get it right and it is failing dismally. I urge all Australians with a conscience to push for the banning of live exports if this is what happens to our beautiful creatures. Cameron Hall, the CEO of LiveCorp and Prof Ivan Caple were absolutely pathetic. With idiots like them at the helm what hope have these poor animals got? Both men came across as superficial and ignorant and certainly negligent in their duties. It is up to the Oz public to get off their buttss and tell the government, enough is enough.... No More.

    Let's not see the same reports again in ten years time.

    Nikki Elton
    Perth Western Australia

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  2. Thanks for your views Nikki. Getup has received well over 200,000 petitions against live exports. It's atrocious and inexcusable for Cameron Hall, Professor Ivan Caple et al to be condoning this. Their inaction over the years is a testament of their gross negligence and lack of responsiblity. Their interview responses were pathetic. Some of the farmers were speachless and unable to comment when queried over this issue because they KNEW it was wrong but yet they shut their eyes to the problem.

    I agree with you. Solve these problems now and we had better not see this problem rear its head again in a few years time or we should all be ashamed of ourselves.

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  3. The live export industry is corrupt, greedy and has failed to improve animal welfare conditions overseas for decades now. What's it going to take to get this vile trade banned? Nikki says, "let's not see the same reports again in ten years time.". If live export continues, I would bet the house that we will, only worse.

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