Surely you're joking. If it is cruel to export live animals to the ME why on earth aren't you and others like PETA jumping up and down in front of the halal butcher shops in Australia. The people who prepare the halal meat practice the rich tradition of slitting an animal's throat while it is alive yet I am still to witness any protest about that.

Sage, apparently Australia has a requirement that the animal is stunned first (according to the article). My understanding was that the animal needed to be in control of its faculties at the time of slaughter.

The author perhaps doesnt have much experience with moving individual sheep. The only way to do so if they are not a hand-reared pet is to tie them up, or to drag them round. Sheep that are on their own or in very small numbers (2 or 3) panic. That's the nature of the beast.

Yes, it may very well be true that it would be MORE economic to Australia to export frozen meats. But why the so-called demand for fresh meat? Is it because in most houses in these countries people do not have equipment for freezing, and so must kill fresh meat regularly? This has been my understanding of ths situation, and it certainly makes sense.

We should be helping these countries to develop humane ways of treating their animals, not just refusing to trade with them (they will simply source from elsewhere). Improvements in treatment will not only satisfy the moral minority, but will result in improved meat quality for the end customer. Anyone who has had anything to do with killing their own meat for consumption knows that the more stressed an animal is prior to slaughter, the tougher and stringer the meat is. Eg if you are picking off a wild rabbit for the pot, the best one to use is that one that was shot in the head soon after taking off, not the one the dogs have chased for 10 minutes first. If we can show these people how to end up with a better product from good handling, its a win-win situation for all.

CountryGal - Can Australia influence Egyptian practices while we continue to send our animals to endure these cruelties? The presence of Australian animals in the importing countries conveys the dreadful message that Australians approve of their terrible animal welfare practices. Rather than inspiring change, the perception that a western nation approves of their practices, condemns not only Australian animals, but also local and other imported animals, to continued years of appalling treatment. It is recognised in international diplomacy that the only way that one nation can influence needed change in another is through trade sanctions - not through contributing to the issue of concern.

Don't Middle Eastern customers and Muslim consumers demand live animals so that they can be assured they are killed in the halal manner? What about refrigeration in importing countries?
Australia has some 40 certified halal export slaughterhouses. The animals are slaughtered in Australia and their carcasses exported chilled or frozen. In Australia, Islamic leaders have approved the pre-stunning of sheep and cattle prior to the cutting of the throat. Of interest is that during recent investigations by Animals Australia (2003, 2006) in the Middle East, the Australian animals being killed were not being killed according to halal requirements. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait - historically the two largest importers of Australian sheep - are extremely affluent oil-rich nations. It is a fallacy that there is a lack of refrigeration, or of refrigerated trucks with which to distribute chilled or frozen meat, in many of these increasingly westernised ME importing countries. Many consumers already buy their meat from supermarkets and 'western' style restaurants abound in many Middle Eastern countries. The Middle East already imports sheep meat equivalent to more than 2.8 million live sheep annually.

You also - quite rightly - state that, due to their very nature, sheep panic when removed from their flock and when they are rendered helpless (through leg-binding, e.g.). This is yet another reason not to send these animals to eudure such treatment. To know the fear, stress and pain to which we are sending them and then to do it regardless? Indefensible.

OK authors, what about trying to be a bit reasonable. Here are a few facts to consider.

We are in the midst of a drought where we are shooting farm animals because there is no feed. Farmers must lighten up stocks to reduce suffering and to give some chance to the remaining herd of breeders.

Veterinarians are not unknown in Islamic countries and are similarly fighting for the Koran to be interpreted in a way that helps animals rather than results in cruelty. If the authors are worried about sheep they should have a quick look at the treatmnent of dogs in the name of the Koran in Islamic countries.

Can I respectfully suggest that placing an embargo on live sheep exports harms farmers and does not help the lot of sheep in those countries which must come from somewhere. Or are the authors only worried about Australian sheep?

Muslims have to eat and Australia is still doing a lot to ensure that stock arrive in good condition and are treated as well as possible. Australia has a leg in and is continuing to lobhy which other exporters might not do.

Ethically speaking the best that the authors might do is to focus debate on the interpretation of the Koran, from whence the problem springs. That way it might be possible to reduce the impact of the excesses of this political movement at home as well as abroad.

Let's face it, Muslims are insisting on cultural changes and changes to laws here to suit their traditional behaviours and beliefs.

I have a solution for all of this - go vegetarian. Do you know how many resources we waste producing livestock? The cruelty in the industry is horrid even here in the States but the resources we use to do this world wide is astonomical.

Mirko

Mr Costello plans to give the ACCC the powers to prosecute environmental and animal welfare groups where their truthful, public protests may "impact" on the profits of these industries.

Once this regulation is implemented to gag protestors, I fear our animal friends will have even more to fear from these barbarians.

It surprises me that other fair-minded posters appear indifferent to Mr Costello's proposal.