Australia's live sheep export back up front in the news
May 6, 2018 4:31 AM Subscribe
Australia. Live sheep exports: 'terrifying' new footage prompts maritime union to call for suspension. Live export ban could harm rural communities, meat industry claims, as protests continue in South Australia. Labor promises to ban live sheep exports and have meat processed in Australia. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has hit out at the federal opposition's promise to ban the practice. Australia exports over three million live animals every year.
But…money
posted by unliteral at 5:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by unliteral at 5:00 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Additional footage was released to Fairfax Media by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). It shows crew trying to scoop up the heavily decayed remains of sheep that have died from heat stress and dump them overboard.
The carcasses, which are just hours old, fall apart when touched, the fat rendered in a way that former live export vet Dr Lynn Simpson said showed they had been cooked from the inside.
The scenes were filmed on now infamous Awassi Express voyage from Fremantle to the Gulf states in August 2017 on which 2,400 sheep died of heat stress.
This is the detail. The article has the pictures. Don't...y'know...go look at that if you don't want to.
I'm also going to do the obligatory "nvm the cruelty it's just bad economics to have your live animals dying in transit" comment.
I mean water cooling. They're boats on the ocean. There is water and probably a bilge pump or 20 on these boats. We have the science. Three million sheep a year, economies of scale, no-brainer. I'm not an engineer, but it's not just shockingly cruel, it's shockingly stupid.
posted by saysthis at 5:02 AM on May 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
The carcasses, which are just hours old, fall apart when touched, the fat rendered in a way that former live export vet Dr Lynn Simpson said showed they had been cooked from the inside.
The scenes were filmed on now infamous Awassi Express voyage from Fremantle to the Gulf states in August 2017 on which 2,400 sheep died of heat stress.
This is the detail. The article has the pictures. Don't...y'know...go look at that if you don't want to.
I'm also going to do the obligatory "nvm the cruelty it's just bad economics to have your live animals dying in transit" comment.
I mean water cooling. They're boats on the ocean. There is water and probably a bilge pump or 20 on these boats. We have the science. Three million sheep a year, economies of scale, no-brainer. I'm not an engineer, but it's not just shockingly cruel, it's shockingly stupid.
posted by saysthis at 5:02 AM on May 6, 2018 [12 favorites]
And then OF COURSE the conservatives are so...I mean...Labor say they're gonna ban the thing, the Liberal answer should be by Job we're gonna make a law to invent a machine to stop this madness and the device will be mandatory on all export boats and we're gonna have an open bid which Liberal donors will mysteriously win and price gouge for years before Liberals get voted out of power and then Labor get investigated for allowing government corruption to continue and then Liberals get voted back into power.
Sorry for using angry AM radio tone in this thread but I can't use any other tone after reading all that.
posted by saysthis at 5:12 AM on May 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
Sorry for using angry AM radio tone in this thread but I can't use any other tone after reading all that.
posted by saysthis at 5:12 AM on May 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
Labor is so concerned about live exports of sheep, but won’t even consider changing their policy on offshore detention of refugees in gruesome conditions.
But then, I suppose, the sheep are white.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 5:38 AM on May 6, 2018 [23 favorites]
But then, I suppose, the sheep are white.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 5:38 AM on May 6, 2018 [23 favorites]
the sheep are white.
The way they see it, the sheep are money in and the refugees are money out. That's the extent of many people's ethics.
posted by pracowity at 5:41 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
The way they see it, the sheep are money in and the refugees are money out. That's the extent of many people's ethics.
posted by pracowity at 5:41 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
Interesting that the new minister (Littleproud, LNP but really a National) seems to be actually trying to do his job. He replaced Barnaby.
posted by hawthorne at 5:54 AM on May 6, 2018
posted by hawthorne at 5:54 AM on May 6, 2018
there was no humane way to transport animals, en masse, especially through hot climates.
have never regretted turning vegetarian. but +1 to the sheep-not-refugee moral dissonance.
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 6:29 AM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
have never regretted turning vegetarian. but +1 to the sheep-not-refugee moral dissonance.
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 6:29 AM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Live export ban could harm rural communities, meat industry claims
Fuck knows how much the crack sales ban costs.
posted by flabdablet at 7:13 AM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Fuck knows how much the crack sales ban costs.
posted by flabdablet at 7:13 AM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
there was no humane way to transport animals, en masse, especially through hot climates.
I can't bring myself to read the whole article, never mind watch the videos, so I apologize if this has been addressed... But isn't this what air conditioning is for? Companies manage to transport fruit from warm climate countries without cooking it during shipping. Why is there such a massive failure for living creatures? (I assume the answer is Money)
posted by Secret Sparrow at 7:14 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
I can't bring myself to read the whole article, never mind watch the videos, so I apologize if this has been addressed... But isn't this what air conditioning is for? Companies manage to transport fruit from warm climate countries without cooking it during shipping. Why is there such a massive failure for living creatures? (I assume the answer is Money)
posted by Secret Sparrow at 7:14 AM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
This is a confluence of all the worst things our society does, with the only possible solutions that don't deal with the underlying problems making them worse.
Sure, air conditioning; how does that get fuelled? We know that, courtesy legal matters related to international waters, the most heavy, dirty fuel is used at sea. So we add aircon; we destroy the oceans, corals, fish, and climate more. The shipping per se is causing needless environmental damage.
The alternative, to eat less or no meat, is - somehow - unconscionable. Better we ruin the environment and cause horrific suffering than eat more lentils or break up some animal farms.
posted by davemee at 8:26 AM on May 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
Sure, air conditioning; how does that get fuelled? We know that, courtesy legal matters related to international waters, the most heavy, dirty fuel is used at sea. So we add aircon; we destroy the oceans, corals, fish, and climate more. The shipping per se is causing needless environmental damage.
The alternative, to eat less or no meat, is - somehow - unconscionable. Better we ruin the environment and cause horrific suffering than eat more lentils or break up some animal farms.
posted by davemee at 8:26 AM on May 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
a few years ago, at trader joe's, I looked at a package of hamburger meat and saw that it was sourced from five countries on three different continents.
i switched to locally sourced meat immediately after for food safety reasons, not realizing there was also an animal safety reason as well. it had not occurred to me that it might not be the meat, but live animals, being shipped around the globe.
thank you for posting this.
posted by zippy at 8:46 AM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
i switched to locally sourced meat immediately after for food safety reasons, not realizing there was also an animal safety reason as well. it had not occurred to me that it might not be the meat, but live animals, being shipped around the globe.
thank you for posting this.
posted by zippy at 8:46 AM on May 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
i switched to locally sourced meat immediately after for food safety reasons, not realizing there was also an animal safety reason as well. it had not occurred to me that it might not be the meat, but live animals, being shipped around the globe.
Well you can put your mind at ease to that, mostly - the markets that demand live animals - Indonesia, Pakistan, Kuwait - all have one thing in common - they are Muslim countries, who require animals be killed in a specific fashion. Halal slaughter requires that the animal be conscious, and have its throat cut (but not its spinal cord) so it bleeds out while conscious, during which time a prayer is said. They like to do it themselves, so they demand live animals.
Otherwise it is cheaper to just slaughter locally and freeze the cuts of meat to send overseas like we do with almost all internationally traded meat.
Australia has higher standards for animal welfare in live exports than the alternative suppliers from North Africa and Eastern Europe. The live animals from Australia are already sold at a premium (and have declining market share) due to those regulations - were Australia to exit the market entirely, those countries would get to supply 100% of the market, which some are arguing is a worse result.
posted by xdvesper at 3:10 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well you can put your mind at ease to that, mostly - the markets that demand live animals - Indonesia, Pakistan, Kuwait - all have one thing in common - they are Muslim countries, who require animals be killed in a specific fashion. Halal slaughter requires that the animal be conscious, and have its throat cut (but not its spinal cord) so it bleeds out while conscious, during which time a prayer is said. They like to do it themselves, so they demand live animals.
Otherwise it is cheaper to just slaughter locally and freeze the cuts of meat to send overseas like we do with almost all internationally traded meat.
Australia has higher standards for animal welfare in live exports than the alternative suppliers from North Africa and Eastern Europe. The live animals from Australia are already sold at a premium (and have declining market share) due to those regulations - were Australia to exit the market entirely, those countries would get to supply 100% of the market, which some are arguing is a worse result.
posted by xdvesper at 3:10 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Mighty Ships series on the Smithsonian Channel had an episode about one of the cattle boats: https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/mighty-ships/becrux/809/3399770
When I watched it a few years ago I thought the operation was quite professional.
posted by leaper at 3:59 PM on May 6, 2018
When I watched it a few years ago I thought the operation was quite professional.
posted by leaper at 3:59 PM on May 6, 2018
> which some are arguing is a worse result
This is the same twisted logic that says we should continue to tear up and befowl Northern Alberta and string another pipeline to the Pacific because if we don't sell the oil that's killing us all, the bad guys over in the Middle East will make all that money instead.
posted by Space Coyote at 4:14 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is the same twisted logic that says we should continue to tear up and befowl Northern Alberta and string another pipeline to the Pacific because if we don't sell the oil that's killing us all, the bad guys over in the Middle East will make all that money instead.
posted by Space Coyote at 4:14 PM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Otherwise it is cheaper to just slaughter locally and freeze the cuts of meat to send overseas like we do with almost all internationally traded meat.
You can Halel/Kosher slaughter locally, freeze the meat, then ship it. The slaughter it at home is a luxury item in these days of certified Cold-Chain supply technology. And if they want it shipped live as a luxury good, then treat it like that.
posted by mikelieman at 4:17 PM on May 6, 2018
You can Halel/Kosher slaughter locally, freeze the meat, then ship it. The slaughter it at home is a luxury item in these days of certified Cold-Chain supply technology. And if they want it shipped live as a luxury good, then treat it like that.
posted by mikelieman at 4:17 PM on May 6, 2018
were Australia to exit the market entirely, those countries would get to supply 100% of the market, which some are arguing is a worse result.
That’s beyond our control, though. As an Australian, I feel utterly sickened and outraged by live export. It’s my responsibility to take a stand on what MY country does to Australian-bred animals, as that’s the only influence I have.
posted by Salamander at 5:00 PM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
That’s beyond our control, though. As an Australian, I feel utterly sickened and outraged by live export. It’s my responsibility to take a stand on what MY country does to Australian-bred animals, as that’s the only influence I have.
posted by Salamander at 5:00 PM on May 6, 2018 [9 favorites]
One aspects of this latest episode I find infuriating is how po-faced the liberals are about "Doing something" etc - when it was cattle enduring this torture under a Labor govt (and they banned it), all we heard from them was "Gusty Aussie Battler Farmers, Labor hates salt of the Earth, how dare they" etc etc
It really shits me - not the hypocrisy, I totally expect that from this pack of gormless bastards, but the fact the coalition can't muster up a shred of bipartisan agreement on even the most basic things.
posted by smoke at 5:00 PM on May 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
It really shits me - not the hypocrisy, I totally expect that from this pack of gormless bastards, but the fact the coalition can't muster up a shred of bipartisan agreement on even the most basic things.
posted by smoke at 5:00 PM on May 6, 2018 [6 favorites]
To add: personally, I don’t believe any of these animals should leave our shores alive. All the ‘standards’ supposedly imposed by Australia on overseas slaughterhouses are pointless. They’re a sop. We will never be able to adequately monitor how live animals are treated once they leave the country. The only remotely morally acceptable position is that we take responsibility for humanely slaughtering them here.
Also, +1 to what smoke said.
posted by Salamander at 5:05 PM on May 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Also, +1 to what smoke said.
posted by Salamander at 5:05 PM on May 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
Yesterday was our Mayday march/rally in Sydney. The MUA (maritime union) was there in force. Union-wise, they're at the forefront of our current push for an unlimited right to strike.
The reasons to push for that are myriad, but a big one is that we'd love to be able to get the MUA to just refuse to handle anything to do with those ships.
Industrial action on particular issues, social unionism, is an incredibly powerful force. The Builder's Labourers Front (BLF) is our go to example for the kinds of change we as workers can demand if we have increased control over our own labour. Just straight up, if you can't make it palatable to the MUA, they wouldn't ship the sheep.
You can do a lot with pressure groups, with advocacy and animal welfare reports, but you can do an awful lot more if you can work economic levers.
Of course, they can get in scabs, they can even get the Navy logistical services to step in and take control, but that's where we start using hard pickets and mass public actions against government intervention.
posted by AnhydrousLove at 6:12 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
The reasons to push for that are myriad, but a big one is that we'd love to be able to get the MUA to just refuse to handle anything to do with those ships.
Industrial action on particular issues, social unionism, is an incredibly powerful force. The Builder's Labourers Front (BLF) is our go to example for the kinds of change we as workers can demand if we have increased control over our own labour. Just straight up, if you can't make it palatable to the MUA, they wouldn't ship the sheep.
You can do a lot with pressure groups, with advocacy and animal welfare reports, but you can do an awful lot more if you can work economic levers.
Of course, they can get in scabs, they can even get the Navy logistical services to step in and take control, but that's where we start using hard pickets and mass public actions against government intervention.
posted by AnhydrousLove at 6:12 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Also they can make as much noise as they like about it harming rural farmers, but the point of being humans is that we can change our specific methods of production. If it was because live export was suddenly unprofitable, the coalition wouldn't give a damn about the farmers left out to dry. They'd be criticising the farmers for not forecasting changing economic conditions.
Well, these are changing social conditions, which are part and parcel of economic conditions. While I would still argue we should act in some way to ensure that lives aren't ruined by bans, farmers should have clued in that animal welfare is only getting more prominence and the public won't accept such horrors forever.
posted by AnhydrousLove at 6:20 PM on May 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Well, these are changing social conditions, which are part and parcel of economic conditions. While I would still argue we should act in some way to ensure that lives aren't ruined by bans, farmers should have clued in that animal welfare is only getting more prominence and the public won't accept such horrors forever.
posted by AnhydrousLove at 6:20 PM on May 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
A lot more detail on the Awassi Express incident, Emanuel Exports, and the existing regulations that did not get enforced despite the exporter's repeated violations and excessive livestock deaths in transit over several years. Is it too much to ask to simply vigorously enforce the law here?
posted by skoosh at 11:57 AM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by skoosh at 11:57 AM on May 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
I wish we on Meta Filter could get past constantly comparing the suffering of one species to another in order to conclude that the suffering of one is more important than the duffering of the other. Suffering is suffering, we should not accept any suffering no matter what type of creature is afflicted. Just because I am concerned about the suffering of a sheep does not mean I dont care about the suffering of a human. Quite the reverse is usually true in fact.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:10 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:10 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Just because I am concerned about the suffering of a sheep does not mean I dont care about the suffering of a human.
I suppose this is directed at my comment above.
I'm sure you care plenty about animals and people, and your care for one does not compromise the other. But our politicians on both sides have demonstrated over decades don't care at all about the suffering of refugees. And Labor's continuing unshakable position that refugees must be exiled forever in concentration camps, while they bleat about the welfare of sheep and how terribly cruel live exports are, is nothing less than breathtaking hypocrisy.
They don't give a shit about people or sheep. They're clearly not adverse to cruelty at all, as their refugee policy shows. They only care about wedging the Government on whatever they can and eking out a few more miserable votes.
And let's leave this derail there, because this post is not about refugee policy.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:58 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
I suppose this is directed at my comment above.
I'm sure you care plenty about animals and people, and your care for one does not compromise the other. But our politicians on both sides have demonstrated over decades don't care at all about the suffering of refugees. And Labor's continuing unshakable position that refugees must be exiled forever in concentration camps, while they bleat about the welfare of sheep and how terribly cruel live exports are, is nothing less than breathtaking hypocrisy.
They don't give a shit about people or sheep. They're clearly not adverse to cruelty at all, as their refugee policy shows. They only care about wedging the Government on whatever they can and eking out a few more miserable votes.
And let's leave this derail there, because this post is not about refugee policy.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:58 PM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
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posted by Panthalassa at 4:58 AM on May 6, 2018 [7 favorites]