Australian live cattle trade to Indonesia

[WoodDragon]

I avoided watching last Monday's episode of Four Corners because of the warning of graphic cruelty, but after hearing so much about it on talkback radio yesterday morning, and after talking to so many people who were shocked by it, I watched the repeat last night.

And I was shocked. Even after having been prepared by what I'd heard, I was shocked.

Now, I've had to kill a wide variety of animals for work purposes in my time, but never I could have conceived of killing them in the way that these cattle are treated. I have a broader tolerance of cultural differences than most people I know, but even that cannot justify the cruel and often gratuitously torturous violence that was revealed in this program.

I'm actually at a loss for words to describe what I've just watched. I know that I will now never again eat meat whose humane preparation I cannot absolutely verify, and I can completely understand why people choose to be vegetarian. I am lucky in that I have a local independent butchery whose staff actually kill, or oversee the killing of, their own beasts, which are raised within a few kilometres of the store. It's a family business, and they are decent people, and I have great respect for the respect that they themselves have for their animals.

Beyond that, I don't think that as an Australian I have a right to tell an Indonesian how to respect the animals they kill, but I can tell our government that I don't support Australia permitting Australian beasts to be exposed to such inhumane conditions overseas. If other countries want our meat, they should buy it from us already prepared to Australian standards, or guarantee that it will be prepared to Australian standards, or they can just go elsewhere for meat.

There's no need for the aggravated cruelty that I have just seen, and it cannot but taint the people who commit it.

Watch the episode if you can, but be prepared for horror.

Edited May 31, 2011 by WoodDragon

[Torsten]

The ridiculous thing is that ALL beef producers have to pay a statutory fee to MLA which goes into marketing etc. One of their priorities was to make sure this cruelty was eliminated in indonesian abbatoris that receive our live animals. Where did the money go? What are all the business trips and training sessions about if they yield no results? And how is it that MLA can claim to be unaware of the situation even though they have been dealing with it for over 15 years.

I presume the only real change that will come out of this is that cameras will now be prohibited in indonesian slaughterhouses.

At 300 million profit per year from live cattle trade you'd think the MLA could afford to GIVE each abbatoir a stunner.

I agree with you woody - we can't stop the Indonesians from beigng cruel, but we can stop them from doing it to animals we supply to them.

[PsillyBean]

I have also had to kill animals when no other option was available and thats hard enough.

After hearing the screaming of the animals being slaughtered on a radio segment, there is no chance I would make it through watching that episode. Just hearing snippets almost made me yak from the images it conjured.

It also made me think of all the human cruelty that we dont know about.

[WoodDragon]

I presume the only real change that will come out of this is that cameras will now be prohibited in indonesian slaughterhouses.

Sadly, I fear that you are right Torsten. Whatever saves a buck.

However, public opinion might be the tipping of the balance here...

Just hearing snippets almost made me yak from the images it conjured.

I can't even begin to describe the scenes. It was simply unecessary brutality. Even a predator on the savanah would deliver cleaner kills, and that's without the extended and unnatural pre-slaughter handling in the abatoirs that would exacerbate stress levels.

And whether or not nature is red in tooth and claw, as humans we like to laud our humanity and civilised ethics. When a society has this lack of empathy within it, or is willing to turn a blind eye to other societies that have this lack, then the premise upon which our whole idea of justice is based, is flawed. If pain and suffering of this magnitude can be excused as being different because the sufferers are not human, then the same logic can apply to different races, or nationalities, or classes, or just about any division that could be arbitrarily made.

And seriously, what kind of society is it that shows such contempt for the animals that provide it with sustenance?

It also made me think of all the human cruelty that we dont know about.

Very true.

The problem is that many people will apply the 'falling tree' question, and posit that the pain and suffering is irrelevant because we don't perceive it happening, just as the question wonders if there is no noise when the tree falls.

And in all of the horror that was screened, I have to agree with Sarah Ferguson that one of the most poignant moments was the fate of the last steer shown, which stood there absolutely shaking in abject fear because it had been forced to watch and hear and smell all of the other cattle slaughtered and butchered in front of it. It demonstrated that the animals do have a well-developed perception of what is happening, even when it is not happening to themselves, and this fact makes all of the other carnage even more profoundly horrible.

Edited May 31, 2011 by WoodDragon

[WoodDragon]

And a wry prediction: I would not be at all surprised if Australian butchers and supermarkets report a significant dip in beef consumption following this program. Perhaps even to the point that the beef industry needs a marketting capmaign to encourage consumption again...

[shortly]

It would surprise me if many if any of them would be worth eating, there's a better than average chance most if not all those beasts would cut dark. Even my dogs take some convincing to eat meat thats dark.

Its well documented that animals have a well developed perception of exactly what is happening & captive animals should never be dispatched where the others can hear, smell, see or have any sense of whats going on. Its poor animal welfare & leads to poor quality meat.

Yep its likely gonna cripple quite a few of the northern producers in the short term.

And a lot of ppl will shy away from beef for a week or two. Unless the smell it, feel it & taste it for themselves most people have short memories.

Not that i'm a supporter of the live trade, i recon we should be value adding every step of the way on all our commodities but that's just my opinion.

I honestly feel that killing & dressing their own meat is something most people should be required to do at some point, or at very least be taught hands on in school.

Not just because we are top predators but because it gives an appreciation that an animal had to die so that we can eat. The meat didn't just miraculously come out of fat air as a sausage or a paddy but was a living breathing creature and each and every one deserves thanks & respect for giving up its life for our benefit. If i or one of my family don't kill it we don't eat it!

[tripsis]

I'm not sure if you've watched Earthlings Woody, but I can't imagine the footage is worse than some in that documentary (e.g. skinning racoon dogs alive, brutally slaughtering cattle in abattoirs, torturing pigs for pleasure, burning a pig alive in the name of science, etc.).

While the footage in the Four Corners episode sounds brutal, I'm doubtful that Australian abattoirs are all they're cracked up to be. I have no doubt that excessive cruelty exists in the Australian meat industry too. I've seen sheep on their way to the slaughter, crammed into the back of a truck to the point that individuals were pushed up against the side of the truck in unnatural positions, begin crushed by the weight of the other animals. Battery chicken and sheep exist in this country. Dairy cows still suffer from mastitis. Fuck, cattle still branded for crying out loud! We wouldn't brand people, yet we somehow deem it justifiable to brand animals.

I honestly feel that killing & dressing their own meat is something most people should be required to do at some point, or at very least be taught hands on in school.

Not just because we are top predators but because it gives an appreciation that an animal had to die so that we can eat. The meat didn't just miraculously come out of fat air as a sausage or a paddy but was a living breathing creature and each and every one deserves thanks & respect for giving up its life for our benefit. If i or one of my family don't kill it we don't eat it!

I could not agree more.

[Blood Trance Fusion]

Kosher and halal slaughter should be banned here to start with but racism and anti-semitism's a common proponent's line of defence as "Hitler was a vegetarian his first law passed banned kosher food preparation".

[Marcel]

I don't watch the news and I don't read the paper and I don't listen to the radio, so this story slipped right by me until I read this. Holy shit. Your description, Woody, of a steer shaking in fear has crippled me. I'm a vego but I just clicked one whole jump closer toward being a vegan.

And whether or not nature is red in tooth and claw, as humans we like to laud our humanity and civilised ethics... what kind of society is it that shows such contempt for the animals that provide it with sustenance?

 

Beautifully stated, Woody. The usual appeal to "nature" in response to such issues is a non-arguement. It simply defers the question.

[tripsis]

I've been vegan and vegetarian. Recently stopped being vegan, but it's hard to justify eating dairy and eggs when I think about it.

In my opinion, eating dairy is worse than eating meat. Beef cattle I expect would lead a pretty decent lives, out in paddocks for almost all of them, getting nice and fat. Dairy cows on the other hand lead of sizeable portion of their lives hooked up to milking machines, being sucked dry until infection sets in. The calves are killed and ultimately so are the milk producers, so there's not much difference between killing a cow for its meat or killing a cow after using it for milk its entire life, except the latter would lead a less idyllic (albeit longer) life. Then comes the environment consideration with farming cattle. As we all know, cattle are bad news for Australia, compacting the soil to such a degree that over time the soil ecosystems die out. Then there's the consideration of methane production. Doesn't matter it the cow is intended for meat or milk, the environmental issues are the same.

On the question of eggs, if you can actually find a farm where they are truly free range, then they're not terrible (but finding those farms are not necessarily easy; I for one don't trust a label that says free range unless I can certify it myself). With that said, male chicks are killed on day one and ultimately, the hens are slaughtered when production drops too, hence not much difference killing a chicken for meat or eating eggs. Not sure what the standards are here, but anyone who's seen Baraka would have seen the segment where they were burning the tips of the beaks off newly hatched chicks to stop them pecking each other once in battery farms. I imagine a similar (or same) practice is carried out here, but that really is just an assumption.

Edited June 1, 2011 by tripsis

[Zen Peddler]

WHen I watched it I felt physically ill. It was beyond disgusting. i wanted to get on a plane and kick some arse.

These corporations (all the properties are prettymuch owned by corporate entities and managed investment schemes) are deriving money from the torture of our animals. They are basically complicite in that torture.

EIther their self regulation was so poor that it took a third party to expose this disgrace or as is more likely they chose to ignore it because a buck is worth more to them than their morality and values.

Our country is morally comprimised by this issue.

[qualia]

i was reading a comment by a qld mayor along the lines of "if it's not happening on our shores australia should but out"....hmm, someone should ask him what he thinks about the "war" in Afghanistan then,,

[Blood Trance Fusion]

i was reading a comment by a qld mayor along the lines of "if it's not happening on our shores australia should but out"....hmm, someone should ask him what he thinks about the "war" in Afghanistan then,,

 

I heard something similar on the radio. What's with said occupation, accepting refugees or foreign aid?

[qualia]

i meant about Australia's active military involvement occupying foreign countries.

[qualia]

but lets not derail the thread too much

[WoodDragon]

I know that we're all a bit dirty about GetUp!, but they have a petition here that needs to be signed quickly, as it's being presented to parliament today.

Edited June 1, 2011 by WoodDragon

[random]

Ok will go sign it despite my dislike of them. hope its not too late for my signature to be added..

[tripsis]

Done. Bloody GetUp....

[ThunderIdeal]

what does halal or kosher have to do with it? are they not allowed to use the (more) humane methods available?

[hutch]

I must admit I have not yet watched it. I like my beef too much to risk putting me off. I know mine are killed humanely cause I'm standing right there when it happens. I watched a program on telly recently about the great big ships they use to move the live cattle. The links not it but it gives you an idea on how well and how humanely it is done. The animals welfare is paramount.

 

What a shame that the great work they do on that ship in humanly transporting these cattle is all undone once the ship is docked. Nothing excuses acts of cruelty to animals but I also have to feel for those in the industry . My daughter and son inlaw both work in north Queensland on cattle stations. He is a chopper pilot and she a jillaroo. Both are now being told theirs jobs are now at risk. I know that they are both disgusted at the treatment of the cattle that they raise in healthy and humane conditions. It is mostly the fault of the MLA (Meat Livestock Australia).

The thing I see is we have some of the worlds best product and they want it badly. How hard would it have been for the meat inspectors to ensure you could only be a customer of ours if best industry practices were applied across all aspects of the operation. It would be quicker and more efficient to stun the cattle first instead of chasing a terrified beast around on the floor trying to slit its throat and much safer for the workers. It makes good business sense. I can't understand why the Indonesian people don't see that themselves. The MLA has had ample opportunities to get this right with education first and then a big fucking stick. Too much money to be made. They should be paying the industry compensation, not the government. This lousy government needs to fix this now! But look at them...what hope has this country...

As bad as this is and I'm not saying its not, a quick trip around the Internet you can easily find people being more cruel to people. Maybe humans are just a sad sad species....well some of us are....

http://www.gunslot.c...tolerate-muslim

And yes, in the video they did run over his arm and fucked it for life.....his crime was to be hungry....this happens around the world daily and not only by Muslims but now a days people don't even blink an eye. Where is the outrage?

I would like to opt out if that's ok......people are so fucking cruel

[hutch]

Is this what you wanted....Is this the solution you were after?

Ban bleeding country dry over life cattle

THE ban on live cattle exports is causing widespread pain. Farmers are being squeezed. The Government has lost credibility. And communities are suffering.

Julia Gillard proclaimed optimism yesterday about the live cattle trade which her Government has devastated with its knee-jerk response to a TV program showing inhumane practices at some Indonesian abattoirs.

"I want to see this trade resumed. I am very optimistic for the future of the live cattle (export) industry," said the Prime Minister after meeting with angry pastoralists in Darwin.

But the damage is done.

Today is the day the three-month import licences issued by the Indonesian Government expire. Australia's name is not expected to be on the next lot of forward contracts for live cattle imports.

Instead, Australia's biggest competitors, Brazil, Chile, Canada and India, have been in talks with Indonesia and are expected to lock us out of the live cattle market, some fear forever.

Indonesian noses are so out of joint by the abrupt way Australia suspended trade three weeks ago that the South Americans, who have being trying to muscle in on the growing Indonesian appetite for protein, are in the box seat, despite the fact their herds are infected with foot and mouth disease.

As people start losing jobs, ships lie idle, and desperate pastoralists start selling up, Gillard's response yesterday was to call on banks to show "compassion", while her Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig offered a few more welfare dollars as compensation for a $340 million industry on its knees.

"It's catastrophic," says Terry Underwood, who with husband John and two of their four adult children own three cattle stations in the Northern Territory, with 20,000 head of Brahmin cattle bred for the live export market. "People are bewildered and paralysed."

The Underwoods had 550 head of cattle already sold under contract to Indonesia at $2 a kilo.

"Those contracts are now null and void," she says. She will be lucky to get $1.40 a kilo on the domestic market, so that is $109,000 lost.

They have a $50,000 monthly fuel bill, and 15 people working for them.

"We're not sleeping at night. We've been punished for animal cruelty that's not part of our lives."

Four generations of pioneering Underwoods built a live cattle industry from scratch. Now they face disaster, along with thousands of people and millions of cattle left in limbo above the Tropic of Capricorn.

Cattle that should have been shipped to Indonesia this month are eating all the grass, road train drivers are being put off, and the closest town of Katherine is feeling the pinch.

"We feel a great sense of responsibility to give protein to these people on our doorstep . . . but they'll go elsewhere," says Underwood.

Already NT cattle grower Marlee Ranacher has decided to sell the iconic Bullo River station because she has had no income for six months.

The Government's decision to suspend the live cattle trade also threatens good relations with Indonesia, with whom Australia has

$11.5 billion in shared trade as well as crucial security partnerships.

NT businessman Bruce Fadelli, awarded an AM for developing business relations between Australia and Indonesia, holds fears for our long-term relationship with Indonesia.

The furniture importer says Australians may not realise the implication of creating meat shortages just before the biggest Islamic feast day of Lebaran

on September 1, at the end of a month

of fasting.

"Cutting meat supplies at this time

will make the Indonesian people angry," he says. "They will not forget the

insult easily."

Australia's relationship with Indonesia has recovered from the low point in 1999 over Australian involvement in East Timor's independence.

Last November, Gillard began negotiations in Jakarta with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for an Indonesia-Australia comprehensive economic partnership agreement, a step above a free trade agreement. And two months ago Fadelli went to Jakarta when the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indonesians.

"We've gone into an economic partnership with them (and then) we cut off the meat supply . . . and no one

was consulted," he said.

"My feeling is that they (Indonesia) would not be very happy about it."

DURING the East Timor conflict, Indonesia did not show its displeasure overtly but things just slowed down.

Fadelli also points out that the

$3 million Ludwig is offering in welfare payments could have paid for inspectors to ensure Australian cattle go only to humane abattoirs.

Those Australian-accredited humane abattoirs do exist in Indonesia.

The agribusiness Elders, for instance, owns a feedlot and abattoir in Indonesia which is run to Australian standards, accredited, audited and uses stun guns.

CEO Malcolm Jackson says he wrote to Ludwig three weeks ago, asking that Elders be excused from the live cattle ban, "given the fact we can provide

a closed supply chain from beginning

to end."

But the Government refused to make any exceptions.

"We are very frustrated to be caught up in all of this . . . bureaucracy trying to get the trade reopened," Jackson told a Sydney radio station on Tuesday.

The entire Top End, from Derby, Broome and Katherine to Darwin is dependent on a vibrant cattle industry, he says. "Everybody's hanging back and saying what's going on . . . and quite frankly we don't know. The thing's becoming a shemozzle, quite frankly."

Now for the conspiracy theory. Three weeks after the ABC Four Corners program showing inhumane slaughter of cattle in some Indonesian abattoirs, you have to wonder why was it so easy to film.

The camera crew of the ABC, by its own account, had unfettered access to abattoirs over nine days. Reporter Sarah Ferguson says Four Corners never pays for access to sources. She and Lyn White from Animals Australia, which recorded some of the footage, are blonde women who would be conspicuous in an Indonesia abattoir.

Yet the slaughtermen seemed unperturbed by their presence, as they gouged the eyes of cattle and kicked them in the head. They seemed happy to have their acts of cruelty recorded.

Indonesia-watchers smell something fishy about this ease of access. The question needs to be asked: who benefited from having these shocking acts of cruelty aired in Australia?

The obvious beneficiaries would seem to be Australia's trade competitors and any Indonesians assisting them to enter the market.

Hope your conscience sits ok...the cattle will just come in from elsewhere as would always be the way, we have solved nothing, damaged relationships with our northern neighbour and have trashed an industry...But you feel better about yourself so you sleep easy....Its not your future being fucked with here.....

http://www.heraldsun...f-1226084417367