Deary me, it sounds like our old friend Nicky might be back, this time
under another name of Shannon. The writing style is certainly much
the same, so are the same old points, which have long ago been refuted.

Nicky and her band of vegans have simply never thought this through,
apart from calling for the end of livestock farming altogether.

The live trade is vital, as we have seen in times of drought, where
a million sheep can be moved quite quickly, rather than starve.
No the boats arn't old, in fact many are quite new and purpose built,
with more new boats on the way.

No Australia is not against the trade. As it happens around 80% of
Australians still buy cage eggs, so some survey done hardly reveals
their accurate opinions. In fact less than 400 out of a population
of 2 million turned up at a demo in Fremantle, hardly overwhelming
support, when 60'000 will bother to go to a football game.

Scabby mouth and pink eye are common diseases in Australia. They
do not interfere with meat and animals can still be slaughtered. They
are also common in the ME. A vet will tell you with both diseases,
to leave them alone and they will cure themselves within a few days.

So Shannon's comment about disease are about as signficant as saying
that the local Westfield shopping centre is full of diseased people.

Industry has to solve this problem and industry is in fact doing it.
Live sheep numbers are down to half what they used to be and some
live shippers are even buying abattoirs, to ship both meat and live
sheep. If only they could find the staff required. Aussies don't want
the jobs, too much hard work for most.

Best to come clean Shannon, tell us your true agenda. You want
Aussies to stop eating meat altogether and livestock farmers to
stop farming livestock. No need to pretend further.

Live export in itself should not pose any real problems but as many pointed out here it is cruel when animals are simply stuffed into tight space & left there with only the barest of care. The problem is that the farmers need the money so that they can try to satisfy insatiable Governments which in turn squander those taxes on the just as insatiable do-gooders & other hangers on. The hypocrisy never seems to end as long as money is the focal point.