A scathing review into the failures of the Department of Agriculture to properly regulate the live export industry confirms why the trade must end.
The review completed by Philip Moss has in eye-opening detail, articulated what Animals Australia's experience has been over the past 15 years, as the primary watchdog of this industry.
"Laid bare is an industry that has a cultural acceptance of cruelty and a blatant disregard for the law," said Chief Investigator Lyn White.
"The Department has been completely out of its depth in trying to regulate these companies. Terrible abuse and blatant regulatory breaches have been dismissed and ignored."
"While it's somewhat of a relief to have the truth on the public record, the great tragedy is the number of animals who have suffered extreme and prolonged abuse at the hands of this industry."
"We must never forget that exporters have been prepared to supply animals to face tendon slashing, eye stabbing, sledgehammering and mass suffering and deaths from heat stroke on ships."
"The politicians who have given blind support to this trade are equally responsible. They fuelled the arrogance of exporters and undermined the regulator. There is very good reason why these companies came to believe that they were untouchable."
"There is not a single valid justification for this industry being allowed to continue. It does not deserve to exist, it does not need to exist, and the vast majority of Australians want it to end."
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