Yup, Gertrude is back, this subject is to her like cocaine to a junkie:)

Belly, what these people totally ignore, is the law of unintended
consequences. By now, Wellards have invested hundreds of millions
in shiny new purpose built ships. They are not going to scrap them.

Indonesian feedlots, with many millions invested, will keep needing
cattle, the Indonesian population is growing daily, people want meat
and its can't be expensive. So in will come those Indian cattle,
those Brazilian cattle, next we'll have a case of foot and mouth
right on our doorstep across the pond. Add in those refugee and
fishing boats sailing over, Australia could well land up with
a 14 billion $ a year disaster and with feral pigs and every other
feral species thriving in our country, control will be a little
tricky.

It is in Australia's key interest that Indonesia does not land up
with foot and mouth, the best way to avoid that is to see that they
buy Australian cattle, if they are going to buy any.

But all this is lost in the fog of politics, as the hysterical
housewife has policitians nervous. Never mind that a few million $
of very basic and functional equipment could solve this. Something
which we never provided. Don't blame the Indonesian worker, given
a knife and told to turn a cow into meat. Blame Australian officials
who failed at their jobs.

With nothing but total respect Suzionline.
I do not think one person who has posted here so far, has not been clear, we want no needless cruelty to any animal.
I could invite you or others to revisit the animal welfare wars from our past here in OLO.
Yes it got dirty, but not just on one side, past debates driven, here,by vegans blackened us meat eaters.
Am I wrong? like every one I can be, but the issue here seems a wish to stop the live export trade.
In my view, half a century from now, Australia would be better served by looking back to a day we stopped the cruelty not the trade.

Proud omnivore here, I just insist that Australian livestock be humanely treated from the paddock to slaughterhouse :)

My best guess is that limited live exports will be allowed to resume to the few accredited abattoirs in the short term. The industry has been put on notice that Australians will not tolerate cruelty to Australian livestock, so conditions will improve rapidly and resume if viable. Producers will take more interest in the welfare of their livestock post-sale.

If it turns out that way, everybody wins. While there are some who want to phase out live exports entirely, I think that it must be possible to do humanely. The real question is whether or not humane live exports are economically viable, in which case the industry isn't sustainable anyway if they're not. Humane treatment of livestock is mandatory at all stages of the live export trade, not a desirable extra.

Yabby and everyone - Just a light hearted attempt from Keryanne. Not that I am trying to undermine the serious situation for all farm animals and the farmers too.
We have to get the money back from MLA . They have been paid laid over there but its all over now. We need a new body and direction for farmers. Keep your membership fees in your pockets farmers- Dont give them another cent while the public demand their share from taxes returned and put into Australian infrastructure.
Part Two Yabbys Adventures life through the eyes of a farm animal

http://www.opiniononlineforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=499

Kerryanne

KerryAnne ease up mate, not going to ring yet maybe later,we all can use the nice little Lamb stuff but it is a fake isn't it.
What do we want out of this thread.
Is it to feel guilt about my breakfast, bacon and a snag on toast.
Or do we as yabby and I have, say ok not good enough lets empty the barrel, take Morganzilas idea and build on it.
Already a state of the art place kills 20.000 a year,let it continue.
Fix the Crimson thing.
You come, as is your right,from a group wanting nothing but an end to the trade.
I to my very boot straps,from a group wanting every possible Australian job/industry wage earners home and right to work.
In my dreams, and that is all it ever will be,I would like these farmers to see my party is not the lost out of touch one they think/know we are in matters like this.
Only from the government seats, no other place, can Labor change anything.
I by the way bring my towel and jump in to this pool every morning,was unaware the other part of this site existed.
This pool looks ok to me , but may take a look at your efforts there.

*Australia would be better served by looking back to a day we stopped the cruelty not the trade.*

Belly, you made a vital point there, which many don't seem to
understand. Of course the live trade can be humane and so can
slaughter. The thing is, in Egypt, Egyptian cattle are slaughtered,
in Indonesia, mainly Indonesian cattle are slaughtered. One would
think that those claiming to care about animal welfare would care
about all animals, not just Australian ones.

What we did in Egypt was to build another meatworks, just for
Aussie cattle. But that does not help the cattle going through
Egyptian meatworks, who happen to be Egyptian!

Australians are actually very good at designing and building livestock
handling equipment, although the people in the MLA offices clearly
don't know much. Simple, effective equipment installed in most of
these places, could work wonders in the third world for improving
animal welfare for all livestock! Most of these workers are scared
of the cattle that they work with, that is the crux of the problem.

All this could be solved quite easily, for a small investment.
That is what I think we should be doing and the animal welfare
outcomes for animals in the third world would be signficant.

Perhaps its the fight or flight response here. Blokes see potential
solutions, women want to flee. I don't believe in running away
from problems, I find solutions where there are win-win outcomes.