Australia is to require ships carrying live cattle and sheep exports to have an independent observer to ensure welfare standards, after 2,400 sheep died from heat stress, sparking calls for a ban on the A$1.3 billion ($980 million) industry.
Australia is also to introduce new legislation to penalize any exporter that contravenes new welfare standards. Under the proposal, a director of a company could face 10 years in prison or a A$2.1 million fine if the welfare standards are not met.
The Australian government, which relies on support from rural voters, rejected a ban on live exports, as it would cause too much damage to the country’s agricultural sector, Australian Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud said yesterday.
He said the government would instead reduce the number of sheep a vessel can carry during the summer months by 28 percent, with independent observers onboard to ensure welfare standards are adhered to.
The policy comes as Australia attempts to stem public anger after footage emerged showing 2,400 sheep dying from heat stress on a vessel bound for the Middle East last year.
“The footage was disgraceful, but what you don’t need to do is predicate your decisions on emotions and without facts, this was one exporter, one incident,” Littleproud told reporters in Sydney. “By putting independent observers on all boats, it will eradicate this type of behavior going forward.”
Animal rights group Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Australia said that the changes do not go far enough.
“What the minister has done is responded to the economic interests of the industry yet again,” RSPCA Australia chief science and strategy officer Bidda Jones said. “I think the public expects animal welfare to be put ahead of economic interests.”
Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of livestock. While the bulk of Australia’s meat exports are processed, markets such as the Middle East and Indonesia prefer to buy live animals.
Australia’s chief commodity forecaster in March said that it expects the sale of 930,000 head of cattle and 260,000 sheep this year.
The new welfare standards come seven years after Australia briefly suspended live cattle sales to Indonesia — which was then the sole buyer. The ban was lifted just a month later, although it gutted the industry, as farmers were unable to sell their livestock, leaving many unable to meet debt repayments.
Australian farmers welcomed the restraint from the government.
“We need to fix it, not ban it. We saw the devastating effects of the ban on the livestock industry in 2011 and those effects were widespread,” Australian National Farmers’ Federation president Fiona Simson told reporters in Canberra.
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