This weeks Federal Government announcement to cease sheep live exports by 2028 is not just the thin edge of the wedge, it is a blunt force trauma to the entire livestock industry. It should not have been a huge surprise for our disunited and disorganized agricultural industries. Governments have one agenda of getting into power and staying there, Labor has done this deal with inner city independents to get into power. The animal activist groups represent amalgamated votes, farmer groups represent disunity and fragmentation. The tried and proven formula the activists use to unite, inspire and coordinate large eclectic groups are ignored by traditional agriculture advocacy bodies. Whilst ever we remain fragmented, we must accept we are on the slippery slope to economic oblivion.
We are already seeing the animal welfare disaster in Western Australia bite as the flow on effects from the already banned live sheep exports have taken not only the sheep market out but also the cattle market which share boats with sheep. All Australians should be proud of our live export industry for the essential work it does feeding human's who are less fortunate than us. Instead, the activist groups have taken the stage to promote their genocidal agenda under the guise of preventing animal cruelty and the general population is made to feel guilty.
The Geopolitics of live export.
- Our overseas neighbors are not as privileged as we are in having the resources (such as refrigeration) and access to fresh produce to feed their families.
- Australia enables other countries to provide fresh meat for their citizens.
- Australia has a humanitarian responsibility to our northern neighbors that should be taken very seriously, we are in a far more fortunate position than the millions of people who rely on the importation of protein.
- Hungry neighbors do not make good neighbors, the Labor Governments illegal and morally repugnant decision in 2011 to shut down the cattle live export trade to our northern neighbors has done permanent damage to our international trade relationships. The trade was closed just before the culturally and religious festival of Ramadan, it would be culturally like stopping American's from having their 4th July barbeques.
- If we stop live export the market will be replaced by countries which do not have the same high standards as our industry with livestock making much longer sea journeys from South America.
The Animal welfare of live export.
- Mortality rates are an incredible 0.05%, this is much lower than farm or feedlot mortality rates.
- The Live export industry embraced world leading animal welfare reforms in 2019 making boats floating feedlots.
- Our on-farm animal health, nutrition and genetics are world leading producing the best quality healthy animals in the world.
- The animal activist's agenda is to end agriculture and therefore civilization in a deranged effort to 'save the planet.'
- Ending live export will be to the detriment of animal welfare
- Animals will still by imported over longer distances with less regulation
- Australian animals are caught without markets or feed as we are seeing right now in Western Australia.
The practicality of live export
- Most of Australia is old weathered soils perfectly suited to breeding animals with a minority of areas suited to finishing livestock so they have enough fat cover to be accepted by consumers.
- It is fanciful to think we can convert a live export industry to a domestic finished industry, we would need 40% more land than we currently have to run livestock on to a processing weight.
- The current system allows for more humans to be fed
- The livestock are affordable for developing nations, it allows them industry and income in value adding them.
Time is ticking, when are the Mum & Dad farmers of the world going to say enough is enough and stop the advance of this depraved ideology which is going to threaten the very civilization we enjoy and should have the courage to pass onto our children and grandchildren.
George King
Carcoar.