Animal welfare standards in Australia's live export markets

142 Pages·2011·1.48 MB·English

The Senate

Rural Affairs and Transport
References Committee
Animal welfare standards in Australia's live
export markets

Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition
Bill 2011 [No. 2]

Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition
Bill 2011 [No. 2]

November 201
© Commonwealth of Australia 2011

ISBN 978-1-74229-531-2

This document was prepared by the Senate Standing Committee on Rural Affairs &
Transport and printed by the Senate Printing Unit, Department of the Senate, Parliament
House, Canberra.
Membership of the committee

Members
Senator the Hon. Bill Heffernan, Chair New South Wales, LP
Senator Glen Sterle, Deputy Chair Western Australia, ALP
Senator Sean Edwards (from 1 July 2011) South Australia, LP
Senator Julian McGauran (to 30 June 2011) Victoria, LP
Senator Christine Milne Tasmania, AG
Senator Fiona Nash New South Wales, NATS
Senator Kerry O'Brien (to 30 June 2011) Tasmania, ALP
Senator Anne Urquhart (from 6 July 2011) Tasmania, ALP

Substitute members for this inquiry
Senator Rachel Siewert Western Australia, AG
to replace Senator Christine Milne

Participating members participating in this inquiry
Senator Judith Adams Western Australia, LP
Senator Chris Back Western Australia, LP
Senator the Hon. Richard Colbeck Tasmania, LP
Senator Alan Eggleston Western Australia, LP
Senator David Fawcett South Australia, LP
Senator Alex Gallacher South Australia, ALP
Senator the Hon. Ian Macdonald Queensland, LP
Senator Matt Thistlethwaite New South Wales, ALP
Senator Nick Xenophon South Australia, IND

Secretariat
Ms Jeanette Radcliffe, Secretary
Ms Trish Carling, Senior Research Officer
Ms Cassimah Mackay, Research Officer
Ms Lauren McDougall, Executive Assistant

PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Ph: 02 6277 3511
Fax: [phone]
E-mail:
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Membership of committee iii

List of Recommendations ix 

Chapter 1 1 
Introduction  
Terms of Reference 1 
Related Private Senators' Bills 2 
Conduct of the Inquiry 2 
Acknowledgements 3 

Chapter 2 5 
The Bills  
Private Senators' Bills 5 
Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition Bill 2011 [No. 2] 5 
Support for the Export Restriction Bill 6 
Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition Bill 2011 [No. 2] 9 
Support for the Export Prohibition Bill 9 
Opposition to the bills 11 
Committee view 16 

Chapter 3 19 
Overview of regulation of animal welfare prior to suspension of
exports of live cattle to Indonesia in June 2011 
Introduction 19 
Regulatory arrangements for the export of livestock from Australia 21 
Expenditure and efforts to promote or improve animal welfare standards with
respect to all Australian live export market countries 25 
Supply chain assurance system 41
Chapter 4 43 
Effectiveness of Government, Meat and Livestock Australia,
LiveCorp and relevant industry bodies in improving animal
welfare standards in Australia's live export markets 
Introduction 43 
Extent of knowledge of animal welfare practices in Australia's live export
markets 43 
Supply chain assurance system 48 
Industry-government cooperation to develop supply chain assurance program 54 
Committee view 59 

Chapter 5 63 
Economic impact of the live export trade within Australia  
Australian livestock exports 63 
Contribution to GDP 64 
Impact on regional and remote economies 66 
Impact and role of the industry on local livestock production and prices 69 
Impact of the temporary suspension of live export of cattle to Indonesia 72 
Australian Government assistance 74 
Domestic processing of livestock currently bred for the live export market 81 
Committee view 87 

Chapter 6 89 
Conclusion  
There is no room for compromise on animal welfare 90 
Live export trade offers an avenue for effective change 91 
Diversification of the industry 94 
Government assistance 95 
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Government Senator's Additional Comments 99 

Australian Greens Dissenting Report 101 
Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition Bill 2011 [No.2] 101 
Mandatory pre-slaughter stunning 102 
The live export industry 103 
The process of the inquiry 104 

Senator Xenophon's Dissenting Report 107 

APPENDIX 1  
Submissions Received 111 
Additional Information Received 120 
TABLED DOCUMENTS 121 

APPENDIX 2  
Public Hearings and Witnesses 125 
Thursday, 4 August 2011 – Darwin, NT 125 
Wednesday, 10 August 2011 – Canberra, ACT 126 
Thursday, 1 September 2011 – Broome, WA 127 
Friday, 2 September 2011 – Katherine, NT 129 
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 – Canberra, ACT 130 
Tuesday, 20 September 2011 – Canberra, ACT 131 

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viii
LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendation 1 
2.53  The committee recommends that the Live Animal Export (Slaughter)
Prohibition Bill 2011 [No. 2] and the Live Animal Export Restriction and
Prohibition Bill 2011 [No. 2] not be passed. 
Recommendation 2 
4.70  The committee recommends that Meat and Livestock Australia and
LiveCorp ensure that performance standards, in accordance with Article
7.5.2.1.g of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Code, are
developed and implemented for the Mark IV restraint box as a matter of
priority. 
Recommendation 3 
4.71  The committee recommends that the Chief Veterinary Officer oversees the
regular assessment of the performance standards for the Mark IV restraint box,
the effectiveness of their implementation and the associated impact on animal
welfare outcomes. 
Recommendation 4 
4.76  The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in
consultation with the Australian live export industry and key peak animal
welfare groups, clarifies the range of information relating to compliance with the
supply chain assurance system that will be made public, the form in which this
information will be published and the frequency with which it will be published. 
Recommendation 5 
4.79  The committee recommends that the Australian Government continues to
work with the Australian livestock industry toward the implementation of a
mandatory national permanent lifetime livestock traceability system. 
Recommendation 6 
6.17  The committee recommends that the Australian live export industry
undertake a review of the responsibilities of peak bodies that act and speak on
behalf of the industry with a view to clarifying the lines of authority and
communication within the industry.
Recommendation 7 
6.31  The committee recommends that the Australian government establishes an
ongoing dialogue with the governments of each of our live export trading
partners and ensures that agreements reached as a result of this dialogue are
clearly communicated to Australian Government officials and Australian
industry representatives. 
Recommendation 8 
6.45  The committee recommends that the Australian Government, in
consultation with the live export industry and other ancillary businesses develops
a package of further assistance or reallocates existing packages of assistance to
address those identifiable and otherwise irrecoverable financial costs incurred as
a result of the temporary suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia. 
Recommendation 9 
6.47  The committee recommends that the Australian Government establishes a
dialogue with financial institutions with regard to the financial difficulties faced
by producers and businesses involved in the live export industry as a result of the
temporary suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia. The committee
recommends that the Australian Government seeks to encourage financial
institutions to adopt a supportive approach to the repayment of loans and the
imposition of interest penalties in the event of default on such payments. 

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