Thanks for the links to the Wellard articles Yabby. According to these articles this particular ship has 9 decks holding livestock with 22 crew/stockmen looking after the live cargo. So each worker could have 2630 sheep to , oversee each day, this includes emptying and scrubbing their water troughs, ensuring their food bins are full, the deck is cleaned and the animals that appear to be ill are removed to the hospital pens or for autopsy – busy, busy! What happens at night? Or do they care for the animals’ 24hrs a day on rotating shifts? Then there are those four daily inspections by the head stockman and the on-board vet, made as the sheep reel away at their approach. Hollowness might be easy enough to spot but pink eye would be trickier! Wellard’s would appear to be one of the best-case scenarios for live exports having some of the newest and purpose built vessels in the industry. Perhaps if Cameron Morse was to travel on one of the ships belonging to one of the 30 or more other carriers who continue to invest in vessels of outdated tonnage, missing all the welfare, safety and technical advantages offered by the newer purpose-built vessels (Steve Meewalds words) the articles may not have shown live exports in such a good light.

Here is what Dr Wirth had to say four weeks ago . I dont think its right you try to mis quote Dr Wirth or the RSPCAs official long standing policy on the cruel live export trade.

His job as a vet and president of RSPCA is to inform the public that live exports should be banned

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/09/20/1158431784440.html#

It is of great concern that despite three seperate Senate enquires in the past regading live animal exports from Australia all recomending a immediate ban on live Exports that it still exsists.
Australia in fact is the largest Live Animal Exporter in the world.
today I was speaking with a lady who lived in the middle east and worked for the Government. She was telling me she wrote to Steve Cibio years ago distressed that many sheep and others animals were taken back to peoples houses and slaughtered in their back yards.
She told me about her minder who proudly told her it was his nine year old boys turn to kill the sheep for the first time. He described how proud he was of his Son and what happend to that particular sheep.
it was a terrible time for them because another ship had been regected and there were so many on board dead already they were short.
Several people were pulling and fighting as to who was going to get a shep to take home and who was going to be left without.
She saw sheep ripped in half in the streets.

A huge amount of sheep are just sold to people to take home and slaughter.
There are no laws and all this crap about Australia now having a MOU with them[ Which you probably have not heard about fully yet.
is just that- crap. Most are kicked dragged and thrown into cars and killed in terrible ways. Often the animals is slaughterd in the different shop or whatever as a honour to vistors and a gift to allah.
No amount of money excuses that.

taurus29, thanks for the welcome, I’d love to know what you find out. Each side of the argument is very compelling and ultimately we have to decide which is more important to us individually the economic bottom line or what is humane.
PF, I’m sure a trained eye, such as a life long farmer, can spot problems. My concern is that there aren’t that many trained eyes on board the vessels when the animals are most likely to be distressed. The ship in the Wellard article sounds like it is one of the best and two of the animal carers had just two months training. Would not a better alternative to dying in the paddock be destocking before the situation became so terrible?

Nice to see you’re back, Benny. Thank you for that story- how horrible.

Yabby I know you're thinking that I am just too emotional that I get upset about stories like this?
I am not ashamed of being emotional about something I care about.

PF here’s a more recent article:

Mixed reaction to live cattle exports http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20522346-29277,00.html
Here’s one of those articles in where Dr Wirth gives his opinion.
Benny is right, he is someone that should be listened to given his expertise in this area.

Yabby, PF, I do realise that I do not nearly have as much knowledge about the live export trade as you have. PF you have been into farming for a long time, I don’t know about Yabby, but also some farming background I assume (in yabbies?).

I said a while ago that I don’t really want to discuss live exports because we were going around in circles and there were so many repetitions in the discussion that I think everybody was stuck.
I think that Benny’s posts are adding to this discussion.

I also said that I have a different view about the live trade than pro-live traders have. I just can’t see that it should be acceptable to export animals just because ‘otherwise they die in the paddocks’ or ‘otherwise other countries will do it if Australia won’t’.
I still see these as not good-enough excuses.

I feel that Australia’s effort should focus on improving conditions for cattle and sheep in the paddocks instead of on improving on ‘the ships’ or ‘the slaughtering methods in the ME’. Who really checks that the improved methods are implemented all the time? Is this reliable?

PF has done great things for the pigs and shows that it can be done- I really think this is a fantastic progression in pigfarming.

Freeranger has done great things for chickens and shows that it can be done.

It’s all a start, but now great things need to be done for other animals as well- our cattle and our sheep.

Is Australia a lucky country for animals right now?

Death ships: anger grows as sheep export toll hits 40,000
September 21, 2006
The Agriculture Minister, Peter McGauran, said 99.17 per cent of sheep arrived at their destination alive. The word ‘alive’ covers a multitude of sins doesn’t it ranging from bursting with health to barely breathing!
Dr Wirth said the mortality rate should not be the only measure of animal welfare. I think this is a fair comment, as animal welfare is concerned with the conditions in which an animal lives, many animals are subjected to horrific treatment but do not die.
As Australia is the largest Live Animal Exporter in the world don’t we have a duty to ensure that we set an good example for others to follow. We should also have the ability to influence others. Is there any Australian group or authority actively educating/convincing those who purchase our animals on how they should be handled humanely? Or why it would be better to purchase suitably slaughtered product instead?

Wizard

Welcome to the thread. I did see your earlier post I will try to answer those questions one by one over the next few days.
As you have raised all the important questions it may take some time to give you the answers.
It is welcome to have a person who is interested enough to ask all the important ones.

To your first question why does live export have a higher return that carcuss?
Well, Wizard there are a number of factors. The trade dollars plays a big part. Some will try to say if we stopped sending animals alive they would buy elsewhere.
AFIC Put out this Media R not so long ago which will go some way to explaing .
I will post it now and return to this topic as soon as I can post again.[ think I am running out]
Thanks Again for your interest in Animal Welfare Wizard.

AFIC Australian Federation of Islamic Council and other Islamic Councils have spoken out about cruelty. They have told RSPCA QLD it is a myth! That they require animals LIVE for religious purposes!

Wizard you can See The AFIC Media R by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of this page.

http://consciousevolution.com/onshu/view_signatures.php

You may also see some of the below listed there as well.
[1 ] Australian Muslims Against Animal Cruelty
[2]Transcript of Dr Hugh Wirth(RSPCA President) speaks of Christian role to be played against animal cruelty.
[3]HKM Live Exports Economic Report

[4] Letter from the Queen of England about live exports

[5] Letter from the Prince of Wales about live exports

[6]Letter from the Governor General about live exports ~ 02/22/06


The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils Media Release titled "Australian Muslims Are Against Animal Cruelty

This website is an appeal for human decency.

This site contains content that is not suitable for young children.
Please sign the Petition

Click Here To View The Petition


http://consciousevolution.com/onshu/view_signatures.php

There is also a link to sign the petition if you would like to do the houour