Labor MP calls for live animal export ban

6 Oct 2012, 5:09 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Demonstrators attend a Ban Live Animal Export rally in Sydney. (AAP)

Demonstrators attend a Ban Live Animal Export rally in Sydney. (AAP)

Federal Labor backbencher Kelvin Thomson has called on his government colleagues to ban live animal exports, as thousands rallied against live exports across Australia.

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Federal Labor backbencher Kelvin Thomson, addressing more than one thousand protesters at a rain-drenched rally in Melbourne, has called on his government colleagues to ban live animal exports.

On a day of protest around the country, the Melbourne and Sydney rallies each attracted about one thousand people, while hundreds turned out in the other capitals.

"No ban, no vote, get animals off the boat," the crowd chanted outside Victoria's Parliament House on Saturday.

In a colourful Sydney protest, banners were emblazoned with messages including "Come on Julia, don't be a chicken" and "Stop the animal holocaust".

National GetUp director Sam McLean told the crowd in Sydney's Martin Place that the animal welfare movement was the most powerful grassroots movement in Australia.

Closest to home for the federal government was Mr Thomson's continuing urgent call for the banning of further livestock shipments to Bahrain or Pakistan until further notice.

The renewed calls for an end to the live animal export trade follow allegations that about half of 21,000 Australian sheep offloaded in Pakistan last month - after being rejected by Bahrain - were clubbed, stabbed and buried alive.

Mr Thomson told the Melbourne rally it was "absolutely unacceptable that Bahrain and Pakistan can ignore the memorandums of understanding which they have entered into as a condition of entering the export trade".

He said regulations must be implemented for the mandatory stunning of animals before slaughter, while the live animal export trade is phased out and replaced with domestic processing.

He called for the establishment of an independent animal welfare office and said it was clear that regulations introduced by his colleagues in the Gillard government were not working.

"(There should be) transition out of the live animal export trade altogether," Mr Thomson said.

"We should establish the abattoirs and domestic processing facilities here in Australia. New Zealand has done it - it works perfectly well for them, we can do this too."

Animals Australia campaign director Lyn White, whose filming of practices in Indonesian abattoirs led to a month-long ban on the live cattle trade to that country, told the Melbourne protesters to send a message to their local candidates before the next federal election.

They should tell them they wouldn't have support unless they ended the live animal export trade.

"There is a divine wind at our back," Ms White told the cheering crowd. "We will prevail. We will end live exports."

The Australian Greens have reintroduced a bill into parliament calling for the ban of live animal exports.

Greens' MP for Melbourne Adam Bandt said the only solution to end the inhumane treatment of animals was to ban live exports.

"It is folly to believe that once we let these animals leave our shore we can have any control over how they are treated," Mr Bandt said.

Mr McLean told the Sydney protest that GetUp's petition against live export was the largest in the country, having attracted 350,000 signatures and more than $500,000 donated to the cause this year.

"When I look at this movement there is no doubt that we are on the path to ending live exports in this country forever," he said.

About 350 people attended the Brisbane rally, where protesters carried placards with slogans including "Australia their blood is on your hands".

About 200 turned out in Canberra, while organisers said other rallies in Hobart, Fremantle and Adelaide were also well supported.



 

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Your Comments

Ms

Donna Tasume - from Turramurra, 9 months ago

It's time the Australian government got behind the live export ban and started funding the building of new abattoirs in Australia. Chilled boxed meat could then be sent overseas instead of living creatures, who continue to suffer extremes in cruelty during and after live export.

live animal export

entraigues jean luc - from tours france, 9 months ago

please stop the export of live animals !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( i'm australian )

Mr

sam - from Sydney, 9 months ago

Yet another nail in the coffin of Australian agriculture.

Wake up people.

Andy - from Cronulla, 9 months ago

With no doubt, I respect animal rights and no excuse for animals being mistreated in any way. But have we thought about civilians being killed, tortured to death, children sexually abused then killed in countries such as Syria by the dictator Bachar Al Asaad and his tribe backed up by the Iranian and Iraqi governments??? Wake up people!

stop live animal exports

mark - from moonta, 9 months ago

Yes stop it and create more work in aus with abbotoirs new zealand does not have live export because they understand it is cruel.But set a time maybe early next year.

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