Australians don’t want our animals treated badly
We appeal to you on behalf of our 17,000+ supporters who think live animal export is cruel and needs to end.
Our supporters come from all walks of life, including professionals, tradies, kids, grandparents, meat-eaters, non-meat-eaters, city slickers, country dwellers and everyone in between. Ending live animal export is an important election issue to voters across all divides.
The majority of Australians are in favour of transitioning away from live animal export to a progressive and ethical alternative.1 The minority who aren’t, are primarily concerned that our producers (who already do a tough job), will suffer great loss.
This simply isn’t true.
Ending live animal export isn’t about disadvantaging producers. This is just what a handful of exporters want everyone to believe.
What it is about, is ensuring that animals don’t suffer unnecessarily.
Image: Animals Australia
The facts
- Seven out of 10 Australians in rural areas want live animal exports to end and more people from rural areas, than from anywhere else, are concerned about the inadequacy of current welfare standards1
- Australia’s live animal export industry accounts for less than 5% of the value of Australia’s livestock industries2
- The live animal export trade is an industry in terminal decline, with annual exports dropping by an average of 16% per year between 2017 and 20213
- Producers want a more reliable trade that isn’t impacted by stoppages. Transitioning to a chilled meat trade provides producers with a profitable, secure and ethical alternative income stream
- Live animal export creates jobs in importing countries, not in Australia. Ending the live sheep trade could facilitate 350 full-time equivalent employees and be worth an additional $18million in increased value-adding for Australian meat processors4
- Rural jobs, such as producers, truck drivers, stockhands, abattoir workers and vets, will continue to exist with a transition to a chilled meat trade
- Australia has been importing to the Middle East for 40 years and the welfare standards are still woefully lacking
We want to see the live animal export trade replaced entirely by a reliable chilled meat trade – that looks after producers and their animals too.
Another common misconception is that Middle Eastern consumers lack refrigeration, so they are unable to accept chilled meat. This is not only incorrect, but also culturally insensitive. A review undertaken in 2012 by Market Vision Research and Consulting Services, a company based in Dubai, noted that in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, there was near-universal household ownership of refrigerators, of 99.5%.
Other countries are ending live animal export, we can too
Other countries have already committed to ending live animal export, including the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Australians want to join the UK and New Zealand. We don’t want our animals to continue to suffer the atrocities that we have all seen, time and time again. Live animal export cannot guarantee the safety of our animals, or a stable market for our producers. The only guarantee the live animal export industry can give is that many animals will suffer terribly.
Care, Connect, Change
Together, we can end live animal exports – but we need to speak up. Urgently and loudly.
We applaud the Labor Party for re-committing to ending live sheep exports and call on all MPs, regardless of their party, to support a phase out of the cruel live animal export trade.
We are encouraging our supporters to speak up at the polling booth, by supporting those parties and candidates who oppose live animal export and opposing those who support the trade.
Visit stopliveexports.org and follow us on Facebook at @StopLiveExports for answers to other FAQs and to learn more.
Regards
Stop Live Exports
- Independent omnibus survey by The Digital Edge, commissioned by RSPCA Australia 27/4/18
- Meat & Livestock Australia State of the Industry Report 2021
- Live Animal Exports Statistics: All Livestock Exports 2022. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Accessed: https://www.awe.gov.au/…/livestock-exports-by-market
- Pegasus Economics 2018 – Economic issues associated with the West Australian live sheep export trade.