The Australian Alliance for Animals is again calling on the Federal Government to expedite its phase out of live sheep exports following further revelations of widespread rorting of Australia's export rules in the Middle East.
The latest breaches, aired on the ABC's 7.30 program tonight following an investigation by Animals Australia, show a complete collapse of the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System in Oman with thousands of Australian sheep sold outside approved supply chains for backyard slaughter during the recent Festival of Sacrifice.
Alliance for Animals Policy Director Dr Jed Goodfellow said the latest revelations were shocking and demonstrated why the trade must be brought to an end as soon as possible.
"This trade is beyond help, it's fundamentally broken and needs to be phased out as soon as possible,
"The latest revelations show that even under the most intense scrutiny, with the Government literally in the process of phasing the trade out, exporters still can't comply with Australian export rules,
"It's gut wrenching to know that over the past few months, thousands of Australian sheep, raised here on Australian farms, have experienced tremendous fear, pain and suffering through untrained backyard slaughter,
"Enough is enough – if any other industry had the same track record of widespread flouting of the law, it would have been shut down long ago,
"The live export industry has misled Australian farmers about the true conditions faced by their animals in the Middle East for long enough,
"If farmers knew the reality, they wouldn't be sending their animals into these conditions,
"The sooner the Albanese Government fulfils its commitment to end the trade, the better,
"Transitioning away from live sheep exports towards higher value domestic processing will contribute more to local economies, create a net increase in jobs, and ensure our standards of animal welfare are met,
"The Australian community expect, and deserve, to see certainty from the Government around the end of this cruel and unnecessary trade."
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