Find out what respected professionals have to say about the livestock export trade based on their experiences in the field.
Find out from:
> Dr Nigel Brown - Austalian vet based in the Middle East
> Cameron Morse - independent Journalist, former Editor of Western Australia’s The Countryman newspaper
Dr Nigel Brown is a Middle East-based vet who has played a key role in reviewing and improving animal care practices in the region for over 10 years.
With a diverse background including work for the RSPCA, he is now employed by the Australian livestock industry to help maintain animal care standards in Australia’s customer countries. Dr Brown recently commented on Australian standards for livestock export:
"From my work in the Middle East, I know first-hand what goes on ‘on the ground’ – and I’m proud of the improvements that have been made in many ways.
It’s my job to give technical support and welfare advice to Australia’s customers in the region. With the help of specialist consultants, I run classes for local workers to boost their understanding of animal husbandry and welfare issues and I’ve put new equipment into abattoirs to improve animal handling.
If Australia wasn’t doing this, nobody else would. Under our influence, a lot has changed in the last decade or so.
10 years ago, you’d see sheep just roaming uncontrolled. Now they’re housed properly, with better technology and equipment in feedlots and elsewhere.
Sure, there is more to do but, knowing how dramatically things have improved and how changes are still happening, I get angry when people who’ve never even been to the Middle East tell untruths – all to make a political point.
As a fourth-generation vet, I’ve committed my life to animal welfare. I’m passionate about looking after animals, and I can say with confidence that the importers of Australian livestock are with me in trying to ensure the animals are handled properly in the Middle East. They are continuing to adopt new measures for ever improving animal care and, for me, commitment to progress is the most reassuring aspect of my work."
For three weeks in July and August 2006, Cameron Morse, Editor of WA’s The Countryman newspaper, travelled on the MV Becrux, transporting 58,000 sheep from Fremantle to Jordan.
He found that animal activists’ claims about poor conditions on board were “simply not accurate”. His reports included:
“According to my on-board observations, there are a number of false claims made [by animal activists about live exports].
[Conditions on-ship] are certainly no different to any stockyard I’ve seen on the many farms I’ve visited around Australia.
Each sheep… has access to as much food as it wants… I’ve spent hours walking the decks and have yet to see an empty feed bin or water trough.
The sheep that walked off the vessel were better than those that walked on, despite going from the southern hemisphere winter to the Middle East summer, the most testing time of the year for livestock exports.
The challenges faced on board… aren’t confined to the live trade – they are challenges all sheep farmers must overcome.”
– The Countryman, “Inside the live trade”; “Claims are simply not accurate”, “Stock healthy on floating feedlot”