OPEN LETTER TO KEVIN

Rudd won't Ban live sheep exports

Monday, 19 February 2007

Federal Oppositition leader, Kevin Rudd, will not ban live exports if elected, despite mounting pressure on the industry in the wake of more allegations of animal cruelty.

The live sheep industry has come into focus again after Animals Australia aired footage filmed in Egypt recently, showing Australian sheep on-sold into the local market for the Halal religious festival, then tied to roof racks and thrown into car boots.

Mr Rudd says he does not abide animal cruelty, but he wouldn't be banning live exports.

"We had a beef property. I understand these things," Mr Rudd said.

Dame Edna might have hit the nail on the head when saying. I just cant imagine a PM named Kevin.

I have difficulty myself after contacting Rudds Office last year regarding the direct link of AWB to live Animal Exports.
You understand you say . Do you Really Mr Rudd?

GOLD COAST BULLETIN

LIVE EXPORT TRADE INQUIRY WOULD BE LIKE LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER

THE RSPCA may have the answer for fed­eral Labor politicians struggling to galv­anise voters with the AWB bribery scandal.

The recent 60 Minutes program on Channel 9 revealing cruelty on Australian cattle in the Middle East hit a nerve.

Not that the RSPCA was surprised by the strong response from Australians outraged at endemic cruelty in the live export trade.

Many Australian voters may not give two hoots about $300 million in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein to sew up Australian wheat sales to Iraq. But it would be a different story if the AWB was ever linked to live exports.

The Gold Coast-based Halal Kind Meats is off to the backblocks of Queensland and West­ern Australia to look for Australian slaughter­ing opportunities. Dozens of Australian abatt­oirs have closed since the live export trade boomed in the 1990s. Kindness to animals is part of the Australian 'fair go' tradition.

Labor appears more concerned with the future of Australia's livestock trade overseas than banning the practice.
AFIC RSPCAQLD PALE Put up an alternative- Nobody cares

There you are Yabbs.

We missed you. I will pop this up for others.
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, and 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 of 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.

Dr. Ameer Ali, President
Dr. Munir Hussain, Chairman, Halal Committee

Yabby Your correct! about PETA and extreme groups.

Yabby Lyn White is fantasic person but would serve the animals and herself far better to distant herself from extremeists vegetarians.

It only works straight into the hands of the cruel Live Animal Exporters and discredits sensible main public.

AFIC subbmitted a proposal to the Animal Welfare enquiry and signed a MOU with our organisation to open more plants>.

Here it is but Animals Australia Voiceless Animal liberation refuse! to work with us towards this.?

http://www.halakindmeats.com/submissions.html
http://www.halakindmeats.com/

Between that and the farmers BLIND faith in FF what chance is there!

Yabby

For me to assume that animal welfare in the Middle East will change overnight upon the banning of live exports would be folly.

For the live export industry to assume that animal welfare in the Middle East will change overnight upon the completion of a single animal handling workshop and the continuatal presence of Australian animals would be folly.

The difference is that I don't believe animal welfare will change overnight, and I don't tout this as a possibility. The live export industry, however, DOES tout its assumption as a real possiblity - in actuality, it touts it as a fact - to the public. This is more than folly; this is deliberate deception.

This is a trade that cannot be defended. It always makes me smile to see a cornered industry deflect criticism by publically condemning those who expose the inadequacies of said industry as 'extremist'.

If those who speak against something are 'extreme' the very nature of comparison makes those speaking in favour of the same thing 'extreme'. So, to tar an industry with the brush it has itself used to describe those who expose and oppose it, live export exremists are fighting to defend the indefensible.

Animal welfare
this is not what others do its what we do

for those that think that i just a city slicker well wrong.

If we do whats right thats what is important.

Just like those in citys who keep trying to grow concrete and wasting water.
Liberals want to cut the farmers, hey we have to eat dont we
concrete doesnt need to be washed a water wasted.
yes water is a concern but when those in cities work that out then things will change.
Just like Peter Garrett on clean coal from these other parties just keep sprouting the party line, if we can do something here that is a start, but clean coal, what going to wash it in water, hang on where is the water comming from the farmers,hang on we can eat coal dust

What it comes down to is doing the right thing and not crawing to big business who only have profit in mind and not a little bit but every dollar they can squeeze out of you.

When you all start getting serious The Australian Peoples Party is a very good viable option.
I can say this party is a collective of independents.

www.tapp.org.au

Yabby, my dogs love good fresh rabbit as much as the next dog. The quickest one normally kills by a quick crunch to the head, and has a significant portion eaten by the time the other dogs catch up. I wouldnt say that it is a slow drawn out death. I am interested to hear what the veggies suggest as the best way to kill off rabbits humanely, if we shouldnt use dogs, poison or viruses. Shooting them is a good option, but certainly doesnt get them all (and the little buggers wise-up pretty quickly), ripping warrens can be effective, but buries them alive (that doesnt sit well with me, despite the fact I hate rabbits), then you have ferreting, which is much crueller than using dogs, then fumigating, which I guess is probably the most humane method as its generall just carbon-monoxide poisoning. The last method doesnt get the bush rabbits though - not all rabbits live in warrens. So out of the above options for eradication, I honesty believe the best is a combination of fumigation, shooting and dogs.

I'm off topic though. But while I am, Yabby you are dead right about putting a bunch of veggies in a drafting race to drench a few hundred sheep. I wouldnt be so cruel as to start them on cross-breds though! Well bred merinos are a little better behaved - meat sheep could be compared to ruby league players in the brains department! Heck, you could be nicer to the veggies and just ask them to pen up in the shearing shed, which is a lot less physically taxing, but just as frustrating!

CountryGal, you are being far to kind to veggies. Just stick to
a good old Dorset/Texel/Dorper cross, the more pain, the faster
they learn :)

LL, MLA has never claimed that things will change overnight, simply
that they are making a difference. If you read their annual reports
of what they have achieved in the ME, that is exactly what they
are doing, which is far more then anyone else. I remind you that it
took decades for the West to slowly change. Mountains can be built,
one pebble at a time, but you have to start somewhere. I refuse to
take your defeatist attitude.

Yup, this trade can be defended, but not to a bunch of people who
object to farming and eating meat. In that sense I have given up
on the veggie brigade, I think they live by a flawed philosophy.

Meantime they have no right to stop Aussie farmers making a living,
based on those flawed philosophies. They have offered no viable alternatives.

Mistakes, pain and suffering, happen in many aspects of life.
I remind you of the fact that many spouses are subject to domestic
violence. We try to fix the problems, not ban marriage.

Meantime I will rely on qualified vets to tell me more objectively
what they think of the live trade, preferably some who have worked
with livestock, not just pets.

Relying on the a bunch of veggies for some kind of objective opinion
is clearly not an option. As we have seen with Peta, they never let
the truth get in the way of a good story, to further their
cause and perhaps donations to their cause. Animal welfare is
big business today, the donations are in the tens of millions,
just for Peta alone.