Money before ethics in live exports: Brown

Former Greens leader Bob Brown today hit out at the major parties for putting “money before ethics” by defending a live export industry that he claimed “cannot be brought into order”.

Following ABC’s Four Quarters program last night airing graphic new footage showing the slaughter of thousands of Australian sheep in Pakistan, Dr Brown renewed calls for a halt to livestock trade.

The 22,000 West Australian sheep were originally destined for Bahrain, but were rejected on alleged health issues, mainly scabby mouth.

“Here we go again with the big parties defending this obnoxious, cruel, disgusting process of these cruel slaughter of Australian livestock overseas,” Mr Brown said in Perth.

“It’s very clear that the big parties are not going to stop it, because they’re under the pressure of money better than ethics when it comes to this trade.”

Dr Brown said New Zealand had stopped the live export trade and called on the Australian Government to follow suit.

“That will create more jobs in this country and at least bring in some decency to a livestock trade which clearly cannot be brought into order,” he said.

“The authorities have been given opportunity after opportunity and they have failed.”

The Greens’ have put forward a Bill to stop the live export trade, which is currently before both Houses of Federal Parliament.

“(Agriculture Minister) Joe Ludwig knows that saying it’s an isolated incident time after time after time as these incidences repeat themselves is not going down with the public,” Dr Brown said.

“They’ve had repeated chances and the cruelty keeps happening on a very big plane.”