If you live outside of Australia, you may not have heard of live export. Though the live export industry – the transport of live animals, usually livestock, across borders – is alive and well across the globe, it remains hidden in the shadows amongst the tonnes of animal meat being sent for consumption around the world. But way down in the southern-most section of the map, live export has been in the news for decades, and for good reason. Being one of the planet’s most remote countries, and surrounded on all sides by ocean, live export from Australia necessarily involves the transport of animals by ship, on traumatic voyages that last many weeks through rough seas.
Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of live animals, exporting 2.85 million animals in 2017 alone. It is the leading global exporter of live cattle, totaling 1.2 million in the 12 months prior to July 2019. The majority of cows exported for slaughter go to Indonesia and Vietnam, with the majority of dairy cows travelling to China. The 1.9 million sheep exported annually travel mostly to the Middle East – including to Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan – on a journey that typically lasts about 3 weeks.
These animals begin this long journey at Australian sale yards, where they wait in the blazing sun to be bought and sold. Once bought, those destined for export are taken on open-sided trucks to feedlots, and from there loaded onto the ships. The conditions on board live export ships are extreme, and little care is taken to ensure the wellbeing of the animals. The ships are typically severely over-crowded, as exporters seek to improve their profits by transporting ever-greater numbers. Often there is not even space enough for the animals to lie down, or for all of them to access the food and water troughs. As they travel into the blistering heat of the Middle Eastern summer, temperatures soar to insufferable levels. Without proper sanitation, animals swim in their own feces and, if they collapse from exhaustion, they drown. Broken bones and other injuries are common; disease flourishes and, with limited veterinary care, the death toll rises.
Live transport is awful for all species, but farmed animals in particular are known to travel very far distances while being completely deprived of food, water, rest, bedding and veterinary care. Many animals die in transport and the ones that survive suffer greatly from the barbaric and cruel industries that make money off importing and exporting them. Animals do not deserve this. They are individual sentient beings with feelings and should be treated with kindness, compassion, and respect. Read on to learn why live exports should be banned immediately.
Though live export in other countries receives far less attention than in Australia, industries are growing around the world, including in Canada and South America. In Europe, we see the same issues arising around the welfare of animals, and the lack of accountability in live export industries. With the European Union exporting around 3.4 million live animals per year to non-EU countries, problems arise with the application of protections, and traceability of animals through the supply chain.
The sufferings of animals when they are subjected to such hardships, do you think they should continue or not? Is it too cruel to those animals? What should we do to help them? Those questions will be on your mind when you finish watching the video we introduce today!!
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Video resource: Noal Farm
