2023-05-10
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare has responded to a new government report on Australia’s regulatory system for live export, which examined shocking footage captured inside overseas slaughterhouses and found systemic non-compliance.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The report is a damning indictment of the Department of Agriculture’s ability to protect cattle exported by Australian producers.
“At the heart of the failures lies an insurmountable conflict of interest; the welfare of animals will never be the priority for a department that also exists to promote and protect the industry. We need an Independent Office of Animal Welfare.
“The report examined truly horrific footage of animal suffering. Shockingly though, the Department recommended no further sanctions for this horrific cruelty despite finding non-compliance at every single abattoir investigated.
“The report confirms, yet again, that live export cannot be made safe for animals. It is a business model built on cruelty and is simply incompatible with animal welfare.”