Dismayed exporters want end to cruelty

JAYNE RICKARD AND GEORGIA LONEY, The West Australian Updated June 1, 2011, 2:47 am

The West Australian © Dismayed exporters want end to cruelty

WA cattle producers and industry stakeholders say a total live export ban would put the State's $250 million live cattle export industry in jeopardy.

More than 520,000 cattle were exported to Indonesia last year, 170,500 of them from WA.

The WA industry is reeling after shocking television footage led to the Federal Government suspending trade with 11 abattoirs in Indonesia yesterday.

Yarrie Station's Lang Coppin runs 10,000 head of cattle on the family property near Marble Bar and said the gruesome revelations made him reconsider sending cattle to Indonesia.

"You won't find any producers who like what they saw on television," Mr Coppin said.

"You just about don't want to send them there if that's how they end up ... You'd rather not send them there at all and have them back in the paddock.

"But what are we going to do? Bills have to be paid.

"But you don't want any part of that bloody business. It's a hard call and it's got to be sorted out."

WA Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman said he supported the Australian livestock industry's decision to suspend the supply of cattle to Indonesian facilities accused of animal cruelty.

But he warned banning exports completely could force overseas markets to get livestock from countries that did not have Australia's high standards, resulting in a decline in animal welfare.

Jubilee Downs station manager Keith Anderson, who looks after 12,000 cattle on his Kimberley property, said the footage was disturbing and the brutal treatment shown was not something he wanted his cattle to go through.

One of Australia's biggest live export companies, Wellard, said more work was needed in the area of animal welfare.

It supported the bans and an increase in animal market handling education in Indonesia.

WA Farmers Federation president Mike Norton said he supported a ban on facilities which undertook cruel treatment but an immediate ban on live exports was unreasonable.

Heytesbury Cattle Company chief executive Paul Holmes a Court, who oversees more than 100,000 head of cattle at properties across WA and the Northern Territory, said he visited Indonesian abattoirs numerous times and found the conditions to be "very satisfactory".

He praised the Federal Government for cutting out abattoirs found to be killing Australian cattle inhumanely, which he believed were a minority. He said all slaughterhouses should use stun guns.

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19 Comments

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Dick05:24am Wednesday 01st June 2011 WSTReport Abuse
Missing in this horror story is any kind of response from Indonesian authority..
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Oaklegs07:12am Wednesday 01st June 2011 WSTReport Abuse
There is absolutely no time to delay and think about what to do, it has to be stopped right now before any further atrocities are committed by this awful trade in animal suffering. God only knows which abattoirs Paul Holmes a Court went to but he certainly had the wool pulled over his eyes re humane killing of Australian cattle. And to think that some unfeeling Australian cretin designed that killing box is just beyond my understanding as it is worse than any medieval torture device ever produced. To even consider killing a beast without prior stunning in quite unthinkable but when you consider a race such as the Indonesians anything appears to be possible. WE WANT IT STOPPED TODAY NOT TOMORROW.
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Bernt Porridge07:29am Wednesday 01st June 2011 WSTReport Abuse
That's too bad, mate - this stops entirely right now. Find a different market or get a different job because there will be no more of our cows sent to those hell-holes. After what I saw on Monday night the whole Australian beef industry needs to be shut down immediately. If the government is unable to act decisively someone had better call in those European animal rights activists who know how to put a stop to it.
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Ian07:42am Wednesday 01st June 2011 WSTReport Abuse
Live animal exports for human consumpton and for "religious"reasons should be stopped, globally, for humane and desease control reasons. The state government in W.A. should immediately look into the setting up of abbatoirs through out W.A. , thus creating employment oppurtunities in some struggling country towns . Short term ,State minister Redmond, the man behind G.M. crops being grown in W.A. , should immediately look at despatching a qualified team together to establish where the farmers can send their produce, to ensure the livestock industry doesn't collapse, and another team to research the establishment of Western Australian abatoirs. We may even be able to process meat from the east coast as well. Also minister Redmond said yesterday the industry was worth $150 million , today in the west it $250 million.
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Oaklegs08:16am Wednesday 01st June 2011 WSTReport Abuse
The Indonesian government will not make a comment because in their opinion they are not doing anything wrong. They are an insensitive race that appear to have absolutely no feelings towards animals of any kind, we hear stories of dogs being skinned alive and we have all seen with our own eyes the awful way cattle are treated. Personally I wouldn't go there for a holiday if you paid me.
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