RSPCA Australia has joined a global coalition of animal welfare organisations to demand an end to the long distance transport of animals for slaughter. In Australia, the Coalition, Handle With Care, will focus mainly on ending the live export of sheep to the Middle East.
The Handle with Care campaign is a world-first alliance to send a clear message to industry and government that this inhumane and unnecessary trade will no longer be tolerated.
The RSPCA has long argued that the export of live sheep, goats and cattle for slaughter is inhumane. Animals exported from Australia face a journey of up to 5 days from the farm-gate to their overseas destination. On the way they endure extreme stress, heat exhaustion and sweltering temperatures. Many also suffer from disease and, every year, tens of thousands die along the way.
Those that do survive are slaughtered in the most horrific, barbaric way.
Quite frankly, proponents of the industry have had long enough to address these serious issues and now it’s time for action.
That’s why the RSPCA has joined forces with organisations including The World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA), Compassion in World Farming and Animals Australia in an unprecedented alliance to bring international attention to the trade.
Yesterday a global report called Beyond Cruelty, Beyond Reason, Long Distance Transport and Welfare of Farm Animals was released. It identifies Australia as a world ‘leader’ in the cruel live export of animals for slaughter. This is certainly no badge of honour. In fact, (not surprisingly) the findings in this report paint a very different picture to the one fashioned by the live export industry and the Rudd Government.
As one of the world’s largest exporters in live animals for slaughter, the global spotlight is now on Australia to bring this cruel and unnecessary trade to an end.
Despite industry protestations, the trade is unnecessary. Australia already successfully exports chilled and frozen meat all over the world and has Halal-certified export abattoirs supplying Halal meat to the Middle East. This highlights there is a viable, functioning alternative. Growth in this trade has tremendous opportunity.
There is no need to export live animals for slaughter – as the report states it is beyond cruelty and beyond reason. The Handle with Care coalition has launched a call for action and is asking all Australians to register their opposition to live exports by visiting:
The South Australian branch of the RSPCA is extremely happy to hear that the barbaric sport of duck shooting has been banned for this season. While the government says the cancellation is due to the drought and low duck numbers, the RSPCA believes duck shooting should be banned because of the severe injuries it inflicts on ducks.
Statistics show that one in four ducks fly away injured after being shot, leaving them to die a terrible, slow death hours, sometimes days later.
Aimee McKay, spokesperson:
‘The fact that one in four are injured and not instantly killed, from an animal welfare standpoint, is completely unacceptable. From beak injuries, where ducks then die of starvation days later, to wing injuries where they’re unable to fly away from predator to the bird simply bleeding to death, they all lead to a horrible death for the bird.’
The RSPCA of South Australia acknowledges that while the temporary ban is a positive step, a total ban needs to be brought in. In the ACT, it has never been legal, it was banned in Western Australia in 1990, in NSW in ’95, and Queensland went on to ban it last year.
‘South Australia is really lagging behind when it comes to duck shooting. The sheer cruelty of the so called ‘sport’ alone should see it banned, but we also have the added strain on duck numbers due to drought. It really makes no sense for this inhumane practice to still be legal.’
If you would like to make a difference, write to Gail Gago, Minister for Environment.
Simply click on the words below and you will be directed to MInister Gago’s website with details on how to contact her.
We have launched a ‘Christmas for the Critters’ appeal due to the extra financial pressures on us over the holiday season.
We have placed ‘Money Trees’ at the following locations:
RSPCA Shelter 25 Meyer Road, Lonsdale.
RSPCA S.A. Headquarters, 172 Morphett St, City (western side of City)
Five AA Radio Station, Level 4, 75 Hindmarsh Square, City (eastern side of City)
Lots of people want to help the RSPCA, and there are lots of different ways you can. Some buy pets from us and give an abused and/or homeless animal a second chance.Others volunteer, helping us to do everything from setting up marquees at the MIllion Paws Walk to walking our dogs.
We understand that not everyone can have a pet, we also understand full time workers, disabled people etc. cannot volunteer. Donating to the MONEY TREES is SOMETHING EVERYONE CANDO! Any donation, large or small, will be welcome on our trees which are currently looking pretty bare! In fact we haven’t got one donation pinned on at our City shelter! DO YOU WORK, LIVE OR DRIVE THROUGH THE CITY? ARE YOU DOING YOUR XMAS SHOPPNG IN THE CITY? Take a five minute detour and go via our Headquarters, or FiveAA.
All you have to do is take an envelope off the tree, and chose the the animal you like. You then write your name and a Christmas message and pin it back onto the tree, for everyone to see!
If you’re in the country, or cannot make into one of our three locations you can go to the FiveAA website, and click on -‘What’s New’ and donate with your credit card. Alternatively CALL our donation hotline on: 1800 652 866.
We want to find the owner of a dog that we found with life threatening injuries.
The gorgeous Maltese cross had a elastic band tied around it’s neck causing horrific, deep cuts all over it’s neck and throat. We have no idea why anyone would do this, however, given the size of the band, it may well have been a horrible attempt to suffocate the animal.
The dog has no identification, we haven’t been contacted about a dog fitting this description.
We’re asking for anyone who recognizes this dog to contact the RSPCA. We understand that the owner may be completely innocent, but we don’t know this until someone comes forward.
Released today, the latest annual national statistics from RSPCA Australia paint a bleak picture for Australia’s cat population, prompting the organisation to reiterate its call for mandatory desexing of cats and dogs.
In FY06/07, 58,480 cats were accepted from the community by RSPCA Australia, which is a drop of almost 4.5% on the previous year’s figures. In SA 4,564 cats were accepted, a drop of 3.5%. However, only 25,137 of these (or less than 43%) were reclaimed or rehomed. In SA 1,687 cats were reclaimed or rehomed or 37%.
RSPCA Australia CEO Heather Neil said that while an increase of 3.8% on the number of cats that had been reclaimed or rehomed in FY05/06 was a significant achievement, the number of stray, unwanted and surrendered cats coming to RSPCA Australia was still far too high.
“These statistics do show our efforts to educate pet owners and the wider community and to encourage responsible practices like microchipping and desexing are having an effect,” said Ms Neil. “However, we are still facing a huge problem with cat owners not desexing their pets, not microchipping their pets and not claiming them when they go missing,” she said. “The pet overpopulation problem is a simple formula: while Australia has one of the highest levels of pet ownership in the world, we are still breeding more animals than we can find good homes for, “There will only ever be a limited number of suitable homes available for cats in need; therefore, we desperately need to work from the other side of the equation and reduce the number of cats we receive,” said Ms Neil.
By comparison, 67,703 dogs were received, with 45,730 or 67.5% of these reclaimed or rehomed. In SA 4,559 dogs were received, with 3274 or 72% of these reclaimed or rehomed.
Ms Neil said RSPCA Australia remained firm in its position that all pets that aren’t used in breeding by professional registered breeders should be desexed, to prevent unwanted births and reduce fighting and straying. “There still seems to be some resistance to desexing in the community,” she said. “Desexing is a critical part of the solution but we do also need education to become better pet owners as well as increasing our implementation of pet identification through tags and microchipping,” said Ms Neil.
RSPCA Australia releases its annual national statistics around October each year, and they detail the number of animals accepted from the community, reclaimed or rehomed as well as euthanased, in addition to statistics on complaints, prosecutions and convictions.
In the last financial year, the RSPCA nationally accepted a total of 144,421 animals from the community, including 18,238 other animals such as livestock, horses, native wildlife and small animals. (In SA a total of 9903 animals were accepted from the community, including 362 other animals.) Australia’s best-known and most trusted animal welfare charity, the RSPCA also investigated 41,915 complaints of animal cruelty and neglect, securing 236 convictions from 352 prosecutions. In SA RSPCA investigated 2,738 complaints of animal cruelty and neglect, securing 35 convictions from 35 prosecutions.
RSPCA Australia collates these statistics nationally, and trends can vary on a state-by-state basis. The RSPCA’s annual national statistics for each year since 1997 can be viewed online at http://www.rspca.org.au/resource/stats.asp
To support the RSPCA, visit www.rspca.org.au or phone 1300 RSPCA 1 (1300 777 221).
Claiming to improve animal welfare in other countries while alleging well-documented cases of cruelty are ‘isolated incidents’ are false and transparent attempts to protect profits and justify an inherently cruel trade, according to the RSPCA.
RSPCA Australia President Lynne Bradshaw said the RSPCA is well aware of the investment and efforts made over a number of years by the government and live export industry to improve handling and treatment at destinations for Australia live exports, but said these attempts were misguided and had failed.
“The live export industry continues to wax lyrical about education and cultural change in order to justify the continuation of live exports, when in fact their interest is in maximising profits,” said Mrs Bradshaw.
“They know as well as we do that they have not and can not influence or control the treatment of Australian animals beyond the unloading dock,
Mrs Bradshaw also said the government’s obstinate refusal to plan for an end to live exports could be placing farmers’ future income at risk.
“Australian farmers need long term plans and solutions, and the only way to protect them is to move now and plan for an end to live exports on their own terms,” she said.
“Increasing meat-processing capacity in Australia and developing alternative meat export markets is the only means to ending this deeply problematic trade,
Mrs Bradshaw said the footage proved beyond doubt that years of attempts and investment so far had resulted in very little change and improvement.
“I think anyone who views this footage - particularly in its entirety, including the most disturbing images that weren’t suitable to be shown on television - will agree it is evidence of practices and attitudes that are deeply ingrained,” she said.
“How many times do we need to see these horrendous images before the industry will admit they are NOT isolated incidents but rather, indicative of endemic mistreatment of exported animals?,” said Mrs Bradshaw.
“We have a responsibility to ensure the animals we breed are treated and slaughtered humanely - there comes a point where we must draw a line and decide that our ethical standards and our international reputation are more important than making an easy dollar,” she said.
“It is hypocritical and absolutely inconsistent with our community standards and national character to allow Australian animals to be subjected to such violence and abuse when there are viable alternatives,”
Mrs Bradshaw said improvements to animal welfare in other countries could be made without subjecting Australian animals to cruelty and abuse.
“If we want to improve animal welfare in other countries, we can do it through formal aid programmes, without sending our Australian livestock to an incomprehensibly cruel fate and profiting from their suffering,” said Mrs Bradshaw.
Faced with even more shocking images of blatant cruelty to Australian animals exported live for slaughter in the Middle East, the RSPCA has demanded action from the Australian Government and the live export industry to end the trade.
RSPCA Australia Scientific Officer (Farm Animals) Melina Tensen said the footage of appalling handling and slaughter of Australian sheep, filmed in September 2007 and aired on ABC’sThe 7:30 Report, provided irrefutable proof the live export trade subjects Australian animals to cruel and barbaric treatment, and must be stopped.
“This is at least the third time such footage has been filmed in the Middle East - proving beyond doubt that this intolerable cruelty continues unabated despite the presence of Australian industry representatives in the region.
“These are absolutely not isolated incidents, they are the same locations and the same practices that have not improved at all despite assurances and huge investment from the industry and the Australian Government to justify their trade,
“The fact is, this horrifying treatment of Australian animals has not changed and will not change as long as the Australian Government and live export industry effectively condone these practices by sending more and more animals to meet this fate,” said Ms Tensen.
The footage shows extremely distressed Australian sheep panting and stumbling as they are crowded together in suffocating humidity where temperatures regularly exceed 40C. They are then dragged and thrown from the truck onto concrete before their final extended and painful slaughter by a primitive method that would be prosecutable in Australia.
The scenes of deliberate mistreatment and horrific slaughter of a bull offer little hope for Australian cattle of which more than 100,000 are exported live to the Middle East each year. Local transporters, handlers and slaughtermen allowed these atrocious practices to be filmed openly, demonstrating an alarming lack of concern or awareness of the impact of their actions.
Ms Tensen said the Australian Government’s commitment to animal welfare is merely a token gesture, evidenced by its continued support for those profiting from this miserable trade,
“The Australian Government has touted $6M for an Australian Animal Welfare Strategy that states, ‘The welfare of all animals in Australia is promoted and protected by the development and adoption of sound animal welfare standards and principles…[that] also covers the welfare of animals transported to and from Australia‘ - yet the Government apparently chooses not to apply this to livestock exports,” said Ms Tensen.
“For example, Australia doesn’t accept imports of dog and cat fur products because of the cruelty involved in their production, and won’t send Australian native animals overseas except under the strictest of conditions - so to condemn Australian livestock to this fate is pure hypocrisy,” said Ms Tensen.
“The live export of animals for slaughter is a dark cloud that is hanging over Australia - it cannot be fixed and must be stopped without delay,” said Ms Tensen.
The RSPCA opposes live export because it is inherently cruel, and maintains the live trade is unnecessary because all major export markets for live animals already accept chilled and frozen meat from Australia that has been humanely slaughtered according to religious and other requirements.
Hon Gail Gago MLC, Minister for Environment and the Minister responsible for Animal Welfare in South Australia has announced an increase in funding to RSPCA (SA), equivalent to an additional $560,000 over the next 4 years to enable the Society to employ 2 additional Inspectors.
The first of these appointments will be a specialist Inspector who will be dedicated to the routine inspection of intensive farms throughout South Austalia. The Inspector will ensure that the Regulations and Codes of Practice that specify existing welfare requirements for intensively farmed animals, mainly pigs and poultry, are fully complied with.
There are significant imminent changes to intensive farming standards and the RSPCA will ensure that farmers make the necessary changes to their farming methods. Battery hens will be required to be given more space in their cages, and the revised Code of Practice for the Welfare of Pigs will introduce larger stall sizes and limit the amount of time sows can be kept in individual stalls.
Of course, the RSPCA, as an organisation, will continue to lobby nationally for the abolition of battery cages and individual sow stalls, but our Inspectorate have a separate role. They must work within the powers given to them by Government and enforce the laws as written by Parliament.
Two additional Inspectors will greatly increase the RSPCA’s capacity to attend to the thousands of reports of alleged cruelty we handle each year. And the new initiative of an Intensive Industries Inspector is welcomed by the Farming Associations who understand that compliance with modern animal welfare standards is an absolute must, both for the reputation of South Australian agriculture and for the well-being of the animals.
Today, 4th July 2007, the South Australian Minister for Environment and Conservation Hon Gail Gago MLC announced the Government’s plan to significantly strengthen the RSPCA’s ability to enforce National Rodeo Standards to protect the animals forced to participate. In response to continued calls from the RSPCA, the Government plans to ban calf roping and the use of concealable electric prods at all rodeos in South Australia. What follows are extracts from the Minister’s Media Release. Of course, the RSPCA will maintain our strong opposition to rodeos until they are completely prohibited, for the sake of the animals. Please Read!
STATE GOVERNMENT MOVES ON RODEO ANIMAL WELFARE
“The State Government is moving to tighten standards on how rodeos are conducted in South Australia.”
Environment and Conservation Minister, Gail Gago said today that SA already had one of the best track records of all the States in its approach to animal welfare at rodeos.
“We now want to go further by introducing new regulations relating to animal welfare standards which are currently being drafted for discussion with rodeo clubs,” Minister Gago said.
“The new draft regulations will include a ban on the use of small, easily hidden cattle prods at rodeos.
“There’ll also be a ban on all animals weighing less than 200 kilograms taking part, which effectively prohibits calf roping events at all rodeos held inSouth Australia”
“We don’t intend to ban rodeos, but we want to improve the welfare of all animals taking part in these events.”The new regulations are designed to eliminate two areas identified as being of high risk to rodeo animals- easily hidden, small cattle prods and calf roping. Breaching the national Standards for the Welfare of Rodeo Livestock is already an offence in SA, while most other states use the code as guidelines only,” Minister Gago said.
“We’re the only State where the standards are regulated, and we’ve been working with the RSPCA to strengthen our regulations because of their concerns that breaches may be difficult to prove in court due to the wording of the national code”.
“We’re also the only state with a successful prosecution for a breach of rodeo standards. However, there’s a danger that any future court actions might fail because of a lack of clarity relating to the rodeo standards, regulations and permit conditions.
“We therefore want to strengthen existing and new regulations in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, so inspectors can prosecute alleged offenders knowing that the requirements are clear and legally binding”.
“This will also benefit rodeo participants who will, for the first time, know for certain what is and isn’t allowed at rodeos in SA.
“The regulations will also ensure that a veterinarian is present at all South Australian rodeos, which has been a condition of gaining a permit for many years. Veterinary attendance is only required in SA and Victoria.
“There’ll also be a provision allowing the Department for Environment and Heritage to provide reports prepared by the rodeo judge and veterinarian to the inspectors to help them investigate breaches of the regulations.
“I anticipate that the new regulation will be in place in time for the next rodeo season starting in September.
“Id like to thank the RSPCA for their support and vital contribution to ensure we end up with regulations that are both effective and enforceable,” Minister Gago said.
With the International Whaling Commission meeting next week, Australia’s largest and most respected animal welfare organisation has once again added its voice to international condemnation of any continuation or expansion of whaling. RSPCA Australia President Lynne Bradshaw today said the environment of the open ocean as well as the tools used in whaling made the practice inherently cruel. “While the RSPCA works extensively within Australia to help farm, native and companion animals, as an animal welfare organisation we are equally concerned about the continuation of a practice outside of our borders that causes enormous pain and suffering to these gentle giants,” said Mrs Bradshaw. “It is simply impossible to kill a whale humanely.” “All caring people, where-ever they live in the world must stand up and reject this cruel practice.” “These social and intelligent animals will be shot from a distance with a harpoon that has an exploding tip,” she said. “The harpoon will penetrate around 12 inches into the animal’s body and will cause enormous pain and blood loss when it detonates,” “The whale could then take up to an hour to die.” The International Whaling Commission will meet next week, where delegates from all over the globe will consider whether to allow pro-whaling countries like Japan, Iceland, Norway and their allies to kill more whales. RSPCA Australia is a supporter of Whalewatch, a coalition of 140 international non-government organisations working to end whaling.
