Australia’s livestock export industry invests heavily in programs to improve the way animals are managed and cared for both at home and overseas.

Australia is the only country that is committed to improving animal welfare standards in the countries we export to – if we are not there the rate of progress and improvement in animal welfare will slow, or worse, stop.

Industry is constantly researching improved ways to care for the animals Australia exports overseas.

In 2006/2007, $A3.5 million was directed specifically to research and development into improving animal welfare throughout the entire export chain. Industry works closely with the Australian Government with this investment.

The livestock export industry invests in highly-trained Australian workers.

The livestock export industry provides extensive animal welfare training to workers involved in the industry in Australia, such as stockmen, on–board veterinarians and dock workers.

Australia is improving animal care standards throughout the world.

The Australian livestock export industry also provides training in customer countries to raise their animal welfare standards and improve the way not only Australian animals, but all animals imported to these countries, are handled.

This training has resulted in stockmen, feedlot operators and others within the supply chain having an improved understanding of how to work with Australian sheep, which are not domesticated like local Middle Eastern sheep and therefore need to be handled differently.

This training has also resulted in improvements in the way animals are handled while being discharged from ships, leading to shorter discharge times so that sheep are in feedlots with feed and water much more quickly than previously. This improved discharge rate is a direct consequence of teaching local stockmen techniques to work with the animal’s natural behaviour, providing a more efficient and less stressful process for the animals.

We also build infrastructure overseas.

Australian industry is investing in new design, maintenance, technologies and equipment, to develop standards for processing Australian livestock in the countries we export our animals to. Work by Australian livestock exporters has led to new systems being implemented to streamline the transfer of animals between vehicles, as well as many improvements in abattoirs and feedlot facilities. 

For example, in a feedlot in Doha industry facilitated the implementation of water chilling facilities to ensure sheep have constant access to cool water. Industry also advised and assisted in changing the feedlot’s infrastructure to replace solid walls with rails, increasing airflow through the feedlot.  

We have achieved a lot, but there is more to be done and this can only happen if Australia continues its involvement in the livestock export trade.