"But farmers can only spend so many million a year on improving
animal welfare in other countries, this year its about 3.8 million."

Yabby has conveniently omitted to advise that it is we taxpayers ($11 million) who are paying for the farcical improvements to animal welfare in this trade. Here's the latest exposure on how these traders in barbarism continue to treat animals on the ships of shame:

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/2007/s2070137.htm

"I have actually sold some lambs to go to Mecca this year for the Hajj.
They are going on the best boat, so transport will be comfortable.
Over there they are slaughtered in huge abattoirs set up especially
for the Hajj and pilgrims. Around a couple of million are slaughtered
in a short time, the pilgrims don't even see their lambs. The meat
is given to the poor."

Really Yabby? You are beginning to believe your own propaganda though you had previously advised that the Middle Eastern nations ill-treat their animals.

You also advised in an earlier thread that you don't export sheep.

Here's how your animals will participate in the following "joyful" Muslim festivals:

. http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:sz0e41mclaMJ:sweetness-light.com/archive/the-eid-festival-around-the-world-graphic-photos+animal+torture+muslim+festivals&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=au&lr=lang_

Oh boy, does this mob know how to party or what!?:

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/the-beautifl-festival-of-ashura-warning-graphic-photos

Disclaimer: The poster is not affiliated with any animal liberation group - at least, not yet!

Dickie I remind you that the Govt co research one for one payment
is about 20% of the MLA budget. Given that there are 112'000
producers of livestock, who pay levies, perhaps your voice
doesent matter in this. How much do we taxpayers contribute towards
your pension?

As to the Hajj, they showed an extensive documentary all about it,
last year on TV, over a number of nights. All quite interesting
really. Something like 2 million pilgrims flood into Mecca.
The logistics of finding accomodation, feeding, clothing everyone
are quite gynormous. So huge infrastructure has been built.

Pilgirms are not even allowed to cook, because of the fire hazard.

So the Govt built huge abattoirs in Mecca to cope, as even you
should be able to imagine, that if everyone slaughtered their
own lamb in a city with 2 million extra people, it would all get
rather messy.

The pilgrims shown, went and paid for their lambs to the authority.
When it was slaughtered, they were contacted by mobile phone and
told. They thus fullfilled their Hajj obligation, which is what
it is all about for good Muslims. Saudi Arabia later distributes
that meat to various poor countries in the region.

Excuse my ignorance here, but I am not religious at all, could someone explain the whole mecca, lamb to slaughter, muslim thing??

This whole issue revolves around muslims! Why do they need to sacrifice a lamb that they dont even want? Its one thing to slaughter animals for food, but to just kill it for some religious ritual?

Pale, you are always supporting the muslims, whats your answer to this? I dont think they will agree to having their sacrifical lamb pre stunned and slaughtered here and sent over chilled do you?

Banning live exports to the ME will go a long way to resolving this issue.

OK, teach them how to handle animals with some compassion and how to slaughter humanely, but do it first, stop the exports until that happens. I dont think they will take interferring in their culture and traditions too well though do you?

“For E.U. cattle this torture is over,” Blanke said. “However, for the animals from other exporting nations the ordeal continues.”

http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/06/01/endofliveEUCattleexports01.06.htm

"The pilgrims shown, went and paid for their lambs to the authority.
When it was slaughtered, they were contacted by mobile phone and
told. They thus fullfilled their Hajj obligation, which is what
it is all about for good Muslims. Saudi Arabia later distributes
that meat to various poor countries in the region."

Wrong again Yabby. Many of the pilgrims slaughter their own animals and feast on them at Mecca.

While the bloodshed of animals is occurring at Mecca, many millions of Muslims all around the globe are also slaughtering animals in unison, to celebrate Hajj elsewhere.

"How much do we taxpayers contribute towards your pension?"

Another blunder Yabby. I don't receive a pension!

But my taxes are extracted to prop you up, and your sadistic, billious trade

No blunder Dickie, but a question. You along with other Australians benefit
from agricultural exports. Without them, we would have been a banana republic
long ago, which would include you. So you benefit from what I do.

If your share for helping ME animals is too much, with 20 million Australians,
your share would be a few cents. Would you like a cheque for that amount? :)

The point is Dickie, any slaughter of livestock makes you squeamish. Perhaps
that’s what office work all their lives, does to people. Given that you even
think that David Attenborough is obsessed, when he shows us the realities of
nature, perhaps you don’t want to accept the realities of nature. Working with
nature for so long now, has taught me a great deal, in terms of both birth and
death. You might think you are more evolved, I think you just won’t accept
the laws of nature as they are.

Frankly I think there are far more cruel things happening, then cutting a
sheeps throat, so I try to see the big picture. Go to an old people’s home and
watch old people die, as they are tortured for days, battling to breathe, battling
to live, yet forced on, against their will, to their last breath.

Go onto some of these hobby farms, to see ignorant people let their livestock
die, slowly, painfully, as they don’t know any better.

Go to any saleyard and see people buying sheep, taking them home for
slaughter, much the same as you condem the Arabs for. Some on the
outskirts of Perth even have little signs up “sheep for sale”

Are you going to ban hogtieing animals in Australia, if you think its
so evil? It happens on Australian farms every day.

So I think that right now trying to ban the live trade is flavour
of the month amongst the veggie movement, but then looking at the
various websites, it seems they want to also end the eating of meat,
fishing, dairying, animal farming, plus a host of other things.