Saudi livestock plan angers animal groups

    AAP
    September 12, 2014
    The Australian


ANIMAL welfare groups are furious federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce is seeking to exempt Saudi Arabia from Australia's animal welfare laws, allowing live exports with the country to resume.            

SAUDI Arabia will not accept the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS), which places responsibility for the welfare of livestock on the exporter, right up to the point of slaughter.
But Mr Joyce wants to resume trade with the oil-rich nation and is considering exempting it from ESCAS because, he says, all slaughtering facilities are government-owned and well run.

"No final decision has been made, however the Australian government remains committed to reopening the livestock trade with Saudi Arabia and is still in discussions with the Saudi government on how this can be facilitated," Mr Joyce said.

RSPCA Australia said it strongly urged Mr Joyce to change his mind, saying his planned move would endanger Australian animals.      

Chief executive Heather Neil said ESCAS was "the bare minimum" level of animal welfare that should be required in export markets.

Animals Australia campaign director Lyn White said if a deal was struck with Saudi Arabia, Mr Joyce would be telling the world that Australia's animal welfare standards could be bought and dismantled.      

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie said an exemption would be the first step in undoing the modest animal welfare reforms of the previous parliament.

"Barnaby Joyce in particular is beholden to money and his mates in that tiny part of the red-meat industry which exports livestock," Mr Wilkie said.      

West Australian Premier Colin Barnett said Australia should maintain a standard of animal welfare, but ESCAS had at times been "inappropriately applied".

Mr Barnett said the federal government had previously insulted Indonesia by suspending live exports.

He said he wasn't commenting on whether Indonesia had mistreated Australian cattle "but we need to be more sensitive".      

"We shouldn't shoot off our mouth."