Vets Against Live Export
  • Home
  • IO reports
  • High-mortality voyages
  • Media
  • Gov correspondence
  • Scientific & legal
  • Live export Brazil
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Join
  • About
    • In-depth

The ESCAS report: what it does tell us

27/1/2015

2 Comments

 
Apparently, live export provides the "greenest" protein to feed millions of families in the world. Hard to know what exactly is green about the live export industry:
feedlotting?
using palm oil to cheaply fatten cattle in the Indonesian feedlots?
inefficiently shipping live animals not carcases?

The report also tells us that the Ag Departments maths are none too good....figures dont always add up in tables (Try Table C3)  and, regardless, are discrepant with the figures on the Department's own website.  No matter how they massage the figures, 17/23 completed reports/complaints on ESCAS non-compliance had adverse animal welfare outcomes (74%) and 16/23 (70%) of these reports were submitted by independent parties.
2 Comments
Peter Gerard
28/1/2015 04:21:26 am

Whether the live export trade is " green" or not is not really important. It is the overal burden of suffering the cattle and sheep experience during shipping, handling and slaughter, especially where stunning is note used to render the animals unconscious before the neck is cut. Barnaby Joyce and the graziers who send their stock for live export know this but continue to support the industry. ESCAS helps with some handling procedures but does not mandate stunning and thus is miserably inadequate. The minister and the graziers by putting profits before compassion are acting immorally in my opinion.

Reply
VALE
28/1/2015 07:40:04 am

We take your point Peter but believe it is still very important that we highlight the degree of "spin" that is used to justify this trade, with its significant welfare implications. That the spin used is even more farcical than usual highlights just how hard the government and the Department are prepared to promote this trade.
It should also concern anyone assessing animal welfare that one of the very significant "non-green" issues raised in the blog, namely palm oil use in Indonesian feedlots, has significant animal welfare repercussions outside the live export trade. Deforestation for the establishment of palm oil plantations is responsible for habitat loss for threatened and endangered species including the Asian elephant, tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros and the orangutan. The Asian elephant and Bornean orangutan are endangered and the tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros and Sumatran orangutan are critically endangered. It is reported that approximately 55,000 Bornean orangutans are left with 5,000 killed a year. There are approximately 6300 Sumatran orangutans remaining and 1,000 killed a year. Whilst palm oil is used for many purposes, not just fattening cattle, cheap feedlotting in Indonesia is reliant upon and integrated with the palm oil industry.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All
    Alternatives To Live Export
    Problems With The System

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • IO reports
  • High-mortality voyages
  • Media
  • Gov correspondence
  • Scientific & legal
  • Live export Brazil
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Join
  • About
    • In-depth