Vet vilified for standing up for animals and food safety

Western Australian Liberal Senator and former veterinarian Chris Back expressed disappointment the Department’s investigation into the cruelty in the Egyptian live export slaughterhouses failed to resolve key questions about the Egyptian vet’s links to the video and an ongoing trade dispute over hormone growth promotants (HGPs) in Australian cattle.

One would think that any veterinarian in the abattoir industry should have as their duties a) concern about animal welfare during slaughter and b) food safety (including presence of inappropriate numbers of HGP pellets in slaughtered cattle). Whilst HGPs were not excluded from cattle exported live to Egypt, finding more than one pellet in the ears of some cattle is indeed a serious issue for any veterinarian in food safety. These products are registered in Australia under the APVMA as "A single implant per animal in all cases".

So we criticise an overseas vet for doing a job in a manner that we would applaud if he worked in Australia. Worse still we criticise that vet when his life has been endangered by his professionalism and compassion.