AWB ENQUIRY COWS WITH GUNS



Cole enquiry spoke of AWB live export money today.[at last]

http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/rrat_ctte/animal_welfare05/submissions/sub72.pdf
Desperate cover-up in Iraqi “blood money” saga

The Australian Wheat Board (AWB) is desperately working to cover up its connections to the controversial live export trade, according to investigations by an animal welfare group. People against Live Exports (PALE) have uncovered evidence that while the AWB was knowingly diverting millions to Saddam Hussein’s regime under Iraq’s Oil-for-food scheme, it was also secretly raising cash from interests in the live Animal export trade.

PALE founder said the scandal was the best kept secret of the Cole inquiry into the AWB.

“The public line is that the Australian Wheat Board sells wheat. They are very keen to keep it quiet that they have also been raising blood money through their connections to the cruel live export trade,” Ms Lewthwaite said.

MEDIA R.

“I uncovered evidence in 2003 that the AWB had purchased interests in livestock company Landmark a short time after the Cormo Express debacle took place. The profits from this venture likely forms a proportion of the money sent to Iraq.”

Ms Lewthwaite said the AWB and the Cole inquiry had gone out of their way to keep information about AWB’s connections to Landmark a secret.

“
“There is a strong public interest in Live Exports and the AWB involvement in live exports is of direct relevance to the current inquiry. It is both immoral and duplicitous for this information to be concealed.”

Ms Lewthwaite said PALE was calling on the government to ensure the Cole inquiry process was transparent and that uncomfortable details about the AWB’s business dealings were not swept under the carpet.

Millions of live sheep, cattle, goats, and other animals endure journeys for up to 3 months from the farm gate to their overseas destinations and eventual very cruel slaughter .Miss Lewthwaite has held meetings with Muslim Leaders of Australia, Malaysian Government officials who advice they do not acquire animals alive for religious purposes and that it is clearly driven by the Government and the department of Trade and Trades.

http://www.wesfarmers.com.au/getfile.aspx?Type=document&ID=3780&ObjectType=3&ObjectID=698

http://www.livexports.com/cowgun.html


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 1990s. Kindness to animals is part of the Australian 'fair go' tradition.

The temporary ban on the export of live cattle to Egypt over the 60 Minutes expose looks like a token gesture from a government committed to livestock exports.

Labor appears more concerned with the future of Australia's livestock trade overseas than banning the practice. Even noted animal

lover, HM The Queen, passed the buck back to Australia when asked to intervene.

Cattle rate No. 2 on live export numbers. Sheep are export kings. Those imperfect or injured ones not fed to the sharks or minced alive await their fate at Middle Eastern slaugh­terhouses. Travel from farm to abattoir can take three months.

Animal welfare zealots reckon Australia's live export trade is 'a story of profit at any cost'. With six million sheep, 850 cattle and 100,000 goats shipped offshore each year there must be a juicy quid in the game for someone.

Why doesn't Labor home in on a Wesl Australian live export investigation which found the trade costs Australia $1.7 billion in local production plus $280 million in house­hold income and up to 12,000 jobs?

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils insists live exports are not necessary to comply with Muslim laws.

"That can be done in Australia under the Australian Government supervised Muslim Slaughter Program," said AFIC president Dr Ameer Ali. More than two million sheep were slaughtered in Australia last year for Middle Eastern markets and shipped frozen or chilled.

THE Gold Coast BULLETIN, Tuesday, March 7, 2006

First I'd like to welcome the new participants to this forum. I notice that some names are new to me and hope you will enjoy the OLO experience.

Now, this thread was established to discuss animal welfare in general and livestock transport in particular.

I am interested in gathering useful info and links that I can collate for activists and anyone else who is interested.

I am not interested in:

a) Muslim bashing - there is already a plethora of religious based forums for that, so go there.

b) Character attacks - I'm no christian, but turning the other cheek works well.

I welcome the link provided to the freerange egg blogspot and urge others to answer survey.

In her inimitable style, Wendy has provided useful links.

Celivia it is worh noting than so far, none of the usual extreme christians have posted on this thread yet. Not really surprised - just confirming my own biases, I guess. Perhaps we could invite them on from some other threads?

But I want more, please.

There is a way to have a win/win situation - I believe that more humane handling of livestock simply results in less loss of produce. Animals that have been mistreated often have to be destroyed, apart from the unnecessary cruelty, the pragmatists will note that this is also uneconomic.

I believe that creating a greater awareness of animal production will result in people caring more where their food comes from and demanding that the market provides chemical free, free range product.

2007 is the next federal election - time enough to contact pollies and other relevant parties with a succinct and informative campaign. I doubt Labor will win, I believe much of the focus should be on both Libs and Labor.

I'm also interested to know just which states people are from. I already know about Yabby & Wendy, I'm from Victoria.

If any people are interested in contacting me more directly an email address you can use is:

ripley66@fastmail.fm

Must go, my King Parrots have landed for a feed and are calling me.

Cheers

Scout I agree completely with your comments. The issues are about the treatment of animals. We run our farm in a way that probably would not provide a big enough return for a corporate farmer - but it produces a living.
I have held discussions with many other egg producers and the big operators always say that they have to de-beak their birds to prevent cannibalism. They carefully ignore the fact that cannibalism is only a problem because of the intensive nature of their operations. If they didn't have 20,000 or 30,000 birds in one shed and if they selected birds with a less aggressive temperament, they wouldn't need to beak trim.
We are in Victoria (down near Phillip Island)

Benny I only tend to discuss WA, as thats the area I have alot
of knowledge about. I generally prefer not to comment on areas
where I have little unbiased information. To my knowledge most
of the cattle going out live, go from the NT, a hop step and
jump across to Indonesia.

I also know that there is one hell of a lot of misinformation
out there in the animal welfare debate. I followed the
mulesing dabate and the amount of misinformation fed out by
Peta etc was just incredible. Alot of people believed it
and had their agenda been successfull, it would have landed
up causing a huge amount of suffering in the real sheep world
out there.

So if people have a clearcut, at any cost agenda, I am dubious
about alot of the info and usually when I do some research,
I find that alot of it is out of date and not an accurate
reflection of the present situation.

My point about Middle Eastern meatworks still stands. If
we, through a bit of innovative thinking and just a little
money, which is available through mla, can make a difference
in the treatment of animals in the Middle East, then we
should be doing it.

Elders tried to buy Greens but they lost. The real problem
is that there is so much State Gove red tape in building
a new meatworks, that virtually nobody is going to a
greenfields site and doing it properly. It can be done,
as Fletcher did, but that was hugely facilitated by the
State Govt of the time.

Yabby

Dubious about what? Surley not the AWB involment.

If So,you will find the article posted was written by a political journalst for many years.

He spent six weeks checking my information.

You will appreciate its hard to run a front page article on live exports when the owner of the papers a major live exporter.

The only reason intensive farming, live exports, exists is the ownerships of media, Ministers and others with a clear conflict of interest.

The public are waking up however. AVA cant hide behind the Vaile anymore.

MLA are funded 50, 50 by the public and industry.

96 percent of public want more abbattoirs opended.

I would have thought it reasonable to spend a small percentage of MLA funding towards promoting co joint farms and inviting overseas investors instead of just live exports.

Every family who pay tax are funding live exports through subs.

Did you know that.

You keep saying Kym Chance is the man in WA.

Why dont you grab a few contacts with people overseas arrange a meeting.
Why dont you help Scout to find the farmers to meet with interested people?
And dont give me the rubbish that the MLA have a vet over there.

Bloody clever vet who can look after millions of animals when he has no power ah! and all at the one time.

What was the name of the vet that took the passport of the ship worker.?
Remember the worker who was threatend if he told anybody about the animals thrown overboard getting chucked down the mincers still alive just before they dock.?
Nigel wasnt it? Tell you what I will look back over my records and post the whole interview. There have been so many reports i get them all mixed up.
Anyway Yabby we really need people interested to comment on the Churches stand or lack of.
Do you have any thought on that side of it.

Do you think Churches should speak out about Animal cruelty?
What do you think about Amandas piggery.? What do you think about battery hens?