As a culture we are gradually increasing our responsibility towards the environment. This greater awareness has resulted in changing our view of animals as produce to that of animals as vital beings with their own rights to a place on this planet.

I am not a vegetarian and as I am unlikely to change to such any time soon, I believe in responsible farming of animals raised for produce.

Topically, live export is a vexed subject. In order to effect trade we agree to export live animals in cramped conditions, for journeys over long distances for slaughter under conditions we would find inhumane and illegal here in Australia.

I am looking for solutions to end animal export.

How can farmers make a reasonable sale from animals without recourse to live export?

How can we encourage all farmers to breed animals in free range and free of chemicals and hormones?

I believe a humane approach to farming will, by evolution, result in the ethics of live export being questioned and eventually stopped.

As with organic farming of vegetables, there is a market demand for meat that is environmentally friendly, free of artificial additives, and grown and slaughtered humanely.

Ideas and input welcome.

Scout, good idea to start a new thread.

Just to inform you, Wendy is a nice lady, we had a long chat recently, she means well and cares, but reality does not
go away, when we close our eyes and wish it would.

The live trade from WA involves around 4 million sheep a year.
To call for its end, unless one can suggest real alternatives,
is pure fantasy. Thousands of peoples lives are involved here,
also millions of animals lives.

Wendy doesent have any solutions to the problem. She is following
her passion, but at the end of the day that is not going to
change things.

Quite frankly, I also think its a bit racist, to say that Arabs
are so primitive, that they cannot change past cultural practises.
I've seen Australia change dramatically in 30 years. Not that long
ago, meatworks here did not use stun guns, now they do. Even today,
sheep are slaughtered for meat in most Aussie shearing sheds, no
stun guns are used. Shearers will pop the odd sheep into the boot,
for their meat supply. City people are horrified by these things,
but in reality they happen in rural Australia every day.

MLA has a permanent vet in the Middle East, funded by farmers.
His role over there is to slowly change things and I think that
is happening. Saudi Arabia consumes around 10 million sheep a year.
They are not going to learn good welfare practises from Eritrea,
Somalia or Ethiopia, where they buy most of their sheep. So I think
that Australia is playing a positive role over there. But it takes
time, as we Aussies took time to change.

Scout, I live in the middle of this stuff, in rural WA. I don't
live on the Gold Coast. I see shearers here mistreating sheep and
I see farmers too scared to say anything, as they might not have any shearers, due to the labour crisis/resources boom in WA.

Our Aussie arses are not as clean, as many city slickers think.

Scout

Thank you. The Following is>

ONE OF A FEW GOOD MENS LETTER TO SENATOR FIELDING
The Letter Remains unanswered. SHAME

The Australian Catholic Study Circle for Animal Welfare

"The Ark in Australia”

PATRONS:

His Eminence Cardinal Edward Clancy

Emeritus Archbishop of Sydney Or Hugh JWirth

President RSPCA, Victoria & Australia

Chairman and Treasurer:

Mr John Drennan Vice-Chairman:

Mrs Margaret Denat Foundress (Australia):

Miss Marrion Craig

ABN: 93 676 785 175

4/35 Morrah Street Parkville VC 3052 Australia

Tel (03) 9347 2851

12 May, 2006

Senator Steve Fielding
Family First

255 Blackburn Road, Mount Waverley, VIC 3149

Dear Senator Fielding,

Re: Our meeting on Live Animal Export to the Middle East

On behalf of Wendy Lewthwaite (People Against Live Exports) and Mark Townend (CEO, RSPCA, Queensland) and myself, I wish to thank you for meeting us on 7 April and for your willingness to look Into the above matter.

It appears to us evident that the imperative to avoid - at the very least -gross cruelty to animals is implicit not only in the teachings of the world's main religions, including Christianity, but also in common humanity. Taken with the demonstrated facts of cruelty in current Middle Eastern methods of slaughter, it appears to follow that a ban on live exports, at least to that part of the world, should continue to be enforced.

We believe that the spirit of the ideals of me Party which you represent entails the above imperative irrespective of economic consequences. But, insofar as these latter are relevant to practical decisions, there is the further point that it would be to Australia's economic benefit to encourage the processing of meat here, to be exported chilled, and subject, in relevant cases, to inspection by duly authorized Islamic halal Inspectors.

We also hope that your Party would see fit to formulate an Animal Welfare policy. Many who support your other policies would be attracted to supporting Family First if a reasonable animal welfare policy were also to be in place.

Yours sincerely,

John Drennan (Chairman ACSCAW).
Posted by Wendy Lewthwaite, Monday, 28 August 2006 8:54:47 P

I exported goats to the middle east and redclaw to Japan and have stopped, not due to an emotional issue but because of the problems with being paid and security for the people that handle the goats. I am sorry to say that I love animals and do not eat meat but as i cannot solve anyone elses problems but my own, I do everything in my power to correctly and humanely deal with the stock as they pass through my land. I am organic and unlike the major stations that are not owned by Australia and have the money to feedlot their cattle, mine are hand fed and pasture grazed. I send these interstate, live and our cargo cops are good at making the drivers keep the rigs clean and make sure the stock are treated correctly.
If the people in other countries treat their neighbours with the same disregard, do you believe that what you want to happen with animals is of any importance? We see a cow mistreated but in China they teara pig open while still living for good luck at sea. People have different opinions of what matters in this world and if they have been raised to see an animal as nothing more than a means to an end of hunger or a meal of religious nature. That is not going to change. If you have no hope of changing your beliefs than you must realise that your beliefs are just that and not right for the world just for you.

No Wendy cant do it alone.

I work in conjunction with Muslim leaders You can see us here>
http://www.halakindmeats.com

They are my partners and friends. TOGEHTER we have come up with a proposal to help Farmers and Animals.
I am a third generation farmer as you know.

As you have indicated I am racist I will again post the Media Release put out by AFIC in support.

Media Release

24 February 2006

Australian Muslims Are Against Animal Cruelty

The President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Dr, Ameer Ali
Today called on the Australian media not to act irresponsible in misinforming the
Australian public about the real reasons for live exports.

Dr. Ameer Ali said that Muslims are primarily concerned to ensure that the
Animal is slaughtered in accordance with the Islamic Shariah, ad that can be
Done in Australia under the Australian Government supervised Muslim Slaughter
Program (AGSMS) and we want the Australian public to know that we do not
Agree to animal cruelty.

He further said that Muslims in the Middle Eastern countries readily accept
frozen and chilled lamb and mutton from Australia, once it is Halal certified
under the program. Last year Australian lamb meat exports to the Middle East
was up 36% to a record 14,052 Tonnes, and Australian mutton meat export to
the Middle east was up 24% in the same period to 36,051 Tonnes (ref. Farmonline
News 1 Feb 2006). This represents the equivalent of more than 2 million sheep
which were slaughtered in Australia for Middle Eastern Muslim customers.

Dr. Ali said that the Australian Muslims does not support the cruel treatment of
animals prior to slaughter. That has been documented in Egypt as the Qur` an
dictates that animals should be treated with kindness.
Posted by Wendy Lewthwaite, Thursday, 10 August 2006 2:32:31 PM

Thank you for opening this discussion, Scout.
I hope that there will be some comments from religious people here as well. If people want to read what has been said so far on The Legal Abuse of Animals, here is a link to the comments to that article. http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=4594
It’s obvious that people have not decided to stop live exports- until we all agree on that it’s harder to find a solution.
If we just make up our mind to draw a line and decide that the export of animals is a NO because Live export is cruel and what happens to our Australian animals once they reach the country of destination, is barbaric treatment.
Once we have decided that exports are out of the question, we simply HAVE to come up with alternatives.

What could the government do to support farmers? Do any of you have suggestions? What about lifting excise duties for free range produce and not for intensive farming produce? Excise for live transports but not for chilled meat transports? Just brainstorming- not saying these ideas are viable. No GST on free range eggs- GST on caged eggs.

A one-issue political Animal Welfare party might not get enough support to get off the ground, but if we'd all write to our preferred political party and say that we won’t support them until they will seriously look at the issue, at the alternatives. Even if you are not against live exports because you dont't see alternatives, other people or govt might work out alternatives.

continued