Nicky I agree with your stance on this issue and Yabby you don't have to be a seasoned animal activist to acknowledge that live-animal exports are cruel and unnecessary nor to question the interference in the judicial process.

If the findings by Magistrate Catherine Crawford are to be tested then why not an appeal. One has to ask why a politician would even involve themselves to this extent and whatever happened to separation of powers?

It is wise to be cautious about any support from the Commonwealth Government given the former Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senator the Hon Kerry O'Brien's relegation to Government Whip after airing his views on live-animal exports.

Shades of Humphrey Appleby!

Hi Nicky

The Corruption and Crime Commission in WA handles complaints against politicians and government officials.

I believe the Commission, despite criticisms from a few shonky characters named by the CCC in the lobbyist affair, is now the only ethical institute in WA, sufficiently trustworthy for citizens to appeal over alleged official corruption.

The Commission advises whether there is a case to be answered and I believe they are civilised and receptive.

http://www.ccc.wa.gov.au/

Enquiries are strictly confidential where complainants also pledge secrecy over any submissions they make.

On reflection, I should mention that Minister Ravlich is also the live-in companion of the treasurer, Eric Ripper, which could be perceived as another "conflict of interest."

Her "networking" skills are quite impressive, wouldn't you agree?

*Crawford considered how best she could "pass the buck". *

So now you are accusing Crawford too! Ravlich clearly used
some common sense, something which seems missing amongst the
farmer hating lobby. But then as we know and you have admitted,
even if these sheep were to go on the Queen Victoria, that would
still not be good enough. Nicky, you are a fanatic, that is
the real problem.

This case is now how many years old? I remind you that new
standards have been introduced, the live exporter was compliant
with all 11 pieces of Commonwealth legislation.

What happens on a boat is Commonwealth law, not State law.
It is bleeding obvious.

The live export trade is worth 470 million $ to WA. It is
incredibly valuable to the States farmers, something which is
perhaps over your head, Pelican, as you don't fully understand
the topic.

Those sheep are for sale to anyone, including local processors,
but they clearly don't want them. We have dug pits and shot
them before, we don't want to do it again.

Whoa Yabby.

I am not disputing that the trade in live meat earns us millions of dollars just that you can ship it to the Middle East frozen (after killing it here under Halal guidelines) hence my comment that live exports are unecessary.

PALE has already made some comments on this issue regards their consulation with the Muslim community. You can pack a lot more frozen meat on a ship than live animals some of which die on the journey. More efficient delivery = more money for Australian farmers. I would think that was bleeding obvious.

You don't know me nor do you have any personal knowledge of my credentials or experience. Stooping to insults does not make your argument any stronger. It is bully tactics and I think you are better than that.

I have not heard of the farmer hating lobby - do you have a link?

*More efficient delivery = more money for Australian farmers. I would think that was
bleeding obvious.*

One would think so Pelican, but that is not the case. The argument
is quite complex, hence my comment. Don't you think that farmers
would sell locally for a better price, if it was available? I thought
that would be bleeding obvious.

Fact is that if the live trade ended, farmers would obtain 70-80%
less for their livestock then they do now, due to the nature of the
captive market in WA. Now if somebody was about to cut your income
by 70-80%, because of their wierd ideology, what would you say?

If a company wanted to dictate to you, what you should or should not
buy, what would you say? That is what these people want to do to our
customers, which I assure you, is not good business practise. They
will simply go elsewhere and they have the money to do it.

As to the farmer hating lobby, people like Nicky and Dickie are
part of it. They have both posted many times as to the evils of
farming, that we should all give the game away and that farming has
no value for Australia.

Its basically part of the vegan-veggie philosophy, which dictates that
it is evil to farm livestock or use their meat and milk, eggs etc,
for food. Nearly all the people screaming loudest about the live
trade are part of it. Pale, (or Gertrude :) ) are about the only
oddbods in the movement who accept that eating meat is not about
to go away and reality has to be faced, even though I gather that
she is a closet veggie. So it seems that they are hated by the
rest of the animal liberation movement.

Nicky, Pelican

One needs to follow the outcome of this case in the NT where goats, bound for live export, also suffered a cruel death from human neglect.

I will be interested to see how or if the outcome differs from the Emanuel Export fiasco.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/26/2199669.htm