Pastoralists and Graziers Association president Rob Gillam wants “the everyday man” to know more about the live export industry.
If so, he should explain how millions of animals are jam-packed onto ships and sent across the equator to Asia or the Middle East, often in sweltering temperatures.
The ships are so crowded that many animals die from disease or when they can’t reach food or water.
Animals who survive this grueling journey may be tied by all four legs and shoved into car boots or the backs of trucks.
At the slaughterhouse (sometimes just a hut), they often have their throats slit while they’re still conscious.
If Australia supposedly has such high animal welfare standards, then why are we still shipping live animals overseas to slaughter?
Gillam can’t justify such cruelty by saying that Australians profit from it any more than he could justify abuses such as drug trafficking, sweatshops, or kiddie porn by reminding us that people make money from those activities.
Animals will continue to suffer as long as live export remains legal.
Des Bellamy
Special Projects
Co-ordinator
PETA Australia
