August 4, 2011

 

Australia calls for total live export ban

 

 

Australian MPs are calling for a complete ban on all of the country's live exports after the recent live cattle export ban to Indonesia.

 

Nine backbench MPs in the Gillard Government are calling for Australian animals to be sold only to those countries that use stunning during slaughter.

 

The Greens, independent MPs Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon, as well as animal-welfare groups such as the RSPCA are pushing for a total end to the trade.

 

In the short term, an across-the-board end to live exports is unlikely, barring disaster, after the political pounding the federal government took following its snap ban on live cattle to Indonesia in June.

 

But it is likely the live export industry will have increased regulation of international contracts to satisfy concerns about animal welfare.

 

Any changes to the live export trade will no doubt be felt most heavily in the cattle regions of northern Australia and the sheep exporting areas of Western Australia, which together contribute most live exports.

 

Victoria contributes up to 15% of the national live export trade, with that contribution consisting mostly of sheep, but also cattle - virtually all of which are dairy heifers for herd improvement - and goats.

 

Last year, Australia exported 874,916 cattle. Of these, Victoria contributed 113,752 cattle (13%).

 

The Victorian trade accounts for about US$120 million of direct export earnings annually from a national total of more than US$800 million.

 

But the debate over the live export trade also will centre on welfare arguments such as whether countries importing animals will simply turn to other nations, with lesser animal treatment standards, to pick up the slack left by Australia.

 

The RSPCA says this was a myth and that when Australia stopped the trade to Egypt during 2007 as a result of public outcry over animal treatment, Egypt increased its imports of chilled meat to fill the void.

 

At the Port of Portland, the biggest export commodity is mineral sands followed by forestry products, namely woodchips, and grains.

 

But the port is also responsible for Victoria's entire live export trade and sent off 700,000 sheep and 70,000 cattle last year.

 

The value of that trade to the port is US$70 million, about 3% of its turnover.

 

The cattle trade from Victoria over the past decade has been dominated by dairy heifer exports.

 

The one exception was last year, when dairy numbers stabilised, but there was a huge spike in the export of fattening and slaughter cattle, largely due to demand from Turkey.

 

A 2005-06 Meat and Livestock Australia report found the live export of dairy heifers directly funded 600 jobs and another 600 indirectly, creating 20% of dairy farmer profits.

 

Victoria usually exports about 50,000 head, ranging from a low of 23,000 in 2006 to a high of 77,000 (2010) in the past decade, from a statewide herd of about one million.

 

Three-month-old heifers generally fetch US$1200-$1300, with most going to China and the rest to Russia, Mexico, Turkey, Pakistan and South-East Asia.

 

Exports have been a saviour for farmers during periods of low milk prices and drought.