2012/19: Should Australia ban live animal exports?

What they said...
'What happened in Pakistan was a sad, a terrible event, but it is not reflective of the hundreds of thousands of sheep we have exported under the new Australian export regulations'
Stephen Meerwald, the executive director of Australian livestock exporter, Wellard

'No one had checked the air-conditioning in the calf unit - and it was over 50 degrees heat - and there were dead and dying animals everywhere, and I was just absolutely heartbroken'
Vet technician, Deb Clarke, commenting on the condition of Australian cattle exported to Qatar in September, 2012

The issue at a glance
On Monday, November 5, 2012, the ABC's current affairs program, Four Corners, ran 'Another Bloody Business', which included footage showing 21,000 Australian sheep being brutally culled after local authorities insisted they were diseased.
The footage showed the inhumane manner in which thousands of sheep were killed after employees of the Pakistani importer PK Livestock, and the Australian exporter Wellard, were forced away at gunpoint.
Last year, an earlier Four Corners program showed the similarly brutal slaughter of Australian cattle at an Indonesian abattoir. The widespread public outrage led to a temporary suspension of live animal exports to Indonesia and the development of a more rigorous regulatory regime.
This year's Four Corners program has led to renewed calls from animal activists for Australia to ban live animal exports. Others, however, have argued that recent reforms have resulted in huge improvements in live animal exports and that the unfortunate events in Pakistan were an anomaly which is in no way typical of how the industry now operates.

Background
(The following information is taken from two sources.
Wikipedia's "Live export' entry has a subsection devoted to Australia's live export industry. This can be accessed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_export
The Australian Government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's Internet site has a section dealing with the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS). This can be accessed at http://www.daff.gov.au/biosecurity/export/live-animals/livestock/escas#general)

Australia is the world's largest exporter of sheep and cattle. According to a report by Meat and Livestock Australia, 4.2 million sheep and 572,799 cattle were exported to markets in Asia, the Middle East and other countries in 2005. Most of the livestock are for meat but there is also an active trade in breeding stock, including dairy cattle.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia) controls the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock.
The Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Scheme (ESCAS) tracks livestock shipped from Australia to ESCAS approved processing facilities outside of Australia. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) manages quarantine controls to minimise the risk of exotic pests and diseases entering the country. AQIS also provides import and export inspection and certification to help retain Australia's highly favourable animal, plant and human health status and wide access to overseas export markets.
The major market for Australian cattle is Indonesia, which takes 80 percent of annual exports. Other key markets include Israel, Malaysia, Japan, Mexico and China. The major markets for Australian sheep are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan. Other key markets are Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. Australia's main market competitors are from China, South America and North Africa.

General information about ESCAS arrangements
The handling of animals involved in Australia's livestock exports trade is of great concern to the community and the Australian Government.
Following evidence of animal cruelty, on 8 June 2011 the Australian Government temporarily suspended the export of all livestock for the purpose of slaughter to Indonesia until new animal welfare safeguards were established for the trade.
Prior to the suspension, exporters of livestock to Indonesia were only required to track exported animals from the property of origin in Australia to the port of export and report on the outcome of the voyage to Indonesia.
An Industry Government Working Group (IGWG) was established to develop a regulatory framework to address the areas of concern with the export of livestock to Indonesia. Under the regulatory framework implemented for livestock exports to Indonesia for the purpose of slaughter, the exporter must supply evidence of an acceptable Exporter Supply Chain Assurance system (ESCAS) before an exporter can be issued with an approval to export by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
On 21 October 2011 the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry announced that the Australian Government will extend the ESCAS framework developed for Indonesia to all livestock exports for the purpose of slaughter by the end of 2012. This decision reflects the recommendations of the Farmer Review.
The IGWGs have developed separate regulatory framework documents for cattle and buffalo; and sheep and goats that take into account the differences that exist between the species.
In addition, the cattle and buffalo IGWG subsequently made a number of amendments to the regulatory framework that was initially developed for Indonesia.

Internet information
On May 30, 2011, the ABC current Affairs program Four Corners aired 'A Bloody Business', a documentary revealing the inhumane conditions in which some Australian cattle sent to Indonesia were slaughtered.
The full program together with a range of responses to it can be accessed at http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20110530/cattle/

The federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has a section of its Internet site given over to explaining the procedures Australia adopts to ensure the welfare of exported livestock.
The material can be accessed at http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/welfare/export-trade

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) supplies a range of data on Australia's live animal exports. This can be accessed at http://www.mla.com.au/prices-and-markets/trends-and-analysis/sheepmeat-and-lamb/live-exports and http://www.mla.com.au/prices-and-markets/trends-and-analysis/sheepmeat-and-lamb/live-exportshttp://www.mla.com.au/About-the-red-meat-industry/Livestock-exports

On September 29, 2012, the ABC ran a news report titled, 'Greens want live animal exports banned'. The report details the treatment of the 21,000 sheep slaughtered in Karachi and puts this in the context of the Greens demands for a permanent end to the live export trade.
The full text of this report can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-28/greens-want-live-animal-exports-stopped/4286532

On October 8, 2012, The Conversation published an opinion piece by Clive Phillips
Of the Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics at University of Queensland titled 'A ten-year plan to phase out live animal exports'. The piece argues that from an economic as well as an animal welfare viewpoint Australia should phase out live exports.
The full text can be accessed at http://theconversation.edu.au/a-ten-year-plan-to-phase-out-live-animal-exports-9870

On November 5, 2012, just prior to the broadcasting of the Four Corners' program, 'Another Bloody Business', the Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, the National Farmers' Federation, the Sheepmeat Council and the Cattle Council sent a joint letter to all federal members of Parliament. The letter defends livestock exports from Australia.
The full text of this letter can be found on the National Farmers' Federation site at http://www.nff.org.au/read/3370/livestock-industry-committed-animal-welfare.html

On November 5, 2012, the ABC current Affairs program Four Corners aired 'Another Bloody Business', a documentary revealing the inhumane conditions in which some Australian sheep which arrived at Karachi, Pakistan were slaughtered.
The full program together with a transcript can be accessed at http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/11/02/3623727.htm

On November 6, 2012, The Sydney Morning Herald published a news report titled 'Exporters assure MPs on animal welfare' which gives an overview of the letter to MPs written by the Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, the National Farmers' Federation, the Sheepmeat Council and the Cattle Council. It also contains a number of the responses of those opposed to the position put in the letter.
The article can be accessed at http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/exporters-assure-mps-on-animal-welfare-20121105-28u5r.html

On November 6, 2012, The Conversation ran an opinion piece by
Siobhan O'Sullivan a Research Fellow with the School of Social and Political Sciences at University of Melbourne.
The piece argues against live animal exports. It can be accessed at http://theconversation.edu.au/the-live-export-of-animals-will-always-be-a-bloody-business-10547

On November 11, 2012, The Canberra Times ran an opinion piece by Paul Malone of the lobby group, Corangamite Against Live Animal Exports. The piece argues against live animal exports. The full text can be accessed at http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/live-export-trade-leads-to-dead-end-20121110-294yv.html

Arguments against banning live animal exports
1. The brutality with which Australian sheep were treated in Pakistan is an exception to general practice
It has been claimed that the brutal Pakistani slaughtering practices revealed in the recent Four Corners' program are not typical of the slaughter methods used in most of the countries to which Australia exports livestock.
Just prior to the broadcasting of the Four Corners' program, 'Another Bloody Business', the Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, the National Farmers' Federation, the Sheepmeat Council and the Cattle Council sent a joint letter to all federal members of Parliament. This letter states, 'The incident in Pakistan was unprecedented and occurred under exceptional circumstances, and a full investigation is currently being undertaken by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.'
The letter goes on to detail the general success of the program Australian exporters have encouraged among livestock importers. This point is made in order to demonstrate the unusual nature of the cruelty to which Australian sheep where subjected in Pakistan. The letter states, 'Significant animal welfare improvements have been made in approved facilities across Australia's livestock export markets in Asia and the Middle East though the implementation of the new animal welfare regulatory regime - the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) - which now covers 99 percent of Australia's livestock exports and will cover 100 percent by the end of 2012. We continue to work with the Australian Government on delivering animal welfare outcomes through the ESCAS system established by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and his Department.'
Similarly, Stephen Meerwald, the executive director of Australian livestock exporter, Wellard, has stated, 'What happened in Pakistan was a sad, a terrible event, but it is not reflective of the hundreds of thousands of sheep we have exported under the new Australian export regulations.'

2. Australia has regulations in place designed to ensure the humane treatment of livestock exports
The regulations governing Australian livestock exports are detailed on the Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) website. The information which follows is taken from this website.
Australia exports livestock by sea and air. The industry is recognised as having the world's highest animal welfare standards for livestock export. Australian live export operates under strict regulations and is committed to maintaining Australia's world leading reputation. Live exporters must be licensed by the Australian Government and livestock vessels must meet strict requirements governed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. These standards, along with strict regulation and the industry's commitment to caring for livestock on their voyages overseas, mean that over 99% of all Australian animals arrive fit and healthy at their destinations.
At the export destinations, livestock are cared for by trained stockmen in feedlots where they have constant access to food, fresh water and shade. Australian animal welfare experts are based in export locations and regularly deliver animal welfare training and education programs and make improvements to infrastructure and livestock facilities.
MLA and LiveCorp invest levies paid by Australian red meat producers and exporters into supporting and fostering the industry through the Livestock Export Program. The joint MLA and LiveCorp initiative invests in activities and tools to improve the trade both in Australia, onboard livestock vessels and overseas.

3. Australia is the only livestock exporter working to improve slaughtering practices in importing countries
Australia has developed a set of protocols to ensure that animals exported live to other countries will be treated humanely by the importer. Australian livestock exporters note that Australia is the only country to attempt to educate exporting countries on humane slaughter practices. Therefore, Australian farmers have claimed that were they to stop live exports conditions for exported animals would worsen.
Just prior to the broadcasting of the Four Corners' program, 'Another Bloody Business', the Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, the National Farmers' Federation, the Sheepmeat Council and the Cattle Council sent a joint letter to all federal members of Parliament. This letter argues, 'Australia is the only country, of the more than 100 countries across the world that export livestock, which actively works in overseas markets to help improve animal welfare conditions.
Major reform is never easy and it takes time to get it right. If Australia was to stop exporting livestock, global animal welfare standards would unquestionably decline.'
A similar point has been made by the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). The DAFF website states, 'Australia leads the world in animal welfare practices. The Australian Government does not tolerate cruelty towards animals and will not compromise on animal welfare standards. Our ongoing involvement in the livestock export trade provides an opportunity to influence animal welfare conditions in importing countries.'
Similarly, Geraldton farmer, Michael Trant, has stated, 'Every country exports live animals pretty much and Australia is the only one that does anything in their markets to improve anything.
So cutting us out with the argument it will stop the cruelty is ridiculous. It just won't happen. They'll [livestock importers] just get stock from elsewhere.'
The same point has been made by Stephen Meerwald, the executive director of Australian livestock exporter, Wellard, who has stated, 'This has been an unhappy and difficult chapter, but we need to continue to spread Australia's high animal welfare standards throughout the world so all animals - Australian or otherwise - are treated humanely and with respect.'
This point has also been made by Bert Findlay, a spokesperson for the rural lobby group Agforce, who has stated, 'There's a 108 exporting countries around the world of which Australia is one. If Australia was to pull out, animal welfare outcomes would no doubt not improve. We're there, we lead it, we have to make it improve and then hopefully lift the bar across the world.'

4. Australian livestock exports supply necessary food to those in importing countries
Livestock are an important source of food for many people living in countries to which Australia exports. These countries are often not able to grow sufficient food to feed their populations. It has also been noted that these animals need to be exported live. Cultural sensitivities require that many importing countries slaughter the animals they import in a manner consistent with their religious beliefs. It has also been noted that many importing countries do not have the facilities to distribute frozen carcasses safely from the docks at which they would be unloaded. This would require refrigerator trucks that are not available. Thus, it is claimed, this important food source needs to be exported live.
Just prior to the broadcasting of the Four Corners' program, 'Another Bloody Business', the Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, the National Farmers' Federation, the Sheepmeat Council and the Cattle Council sent a joint letter to all federal members of Parliament. This letter explains the importance of Australian livestock exports to the countries which receive them.
The letter states, 'The supply of Australian livestock ensures hundreds of thousands of households across Asia and the Middle East have access to essential and affordable protein. This was highlighted by the Federal Government's Asian Century White Paper, which showed Australia's important role in providing food to Asia's growing population. We strongly believe that the livestock export industry is a critical element of this.'
Similarly, Meat and Livestock Australia states on its website, 'Australia is the world's leading supplier of high quality live cattle, sheep and goats to countries around the world, in particular throughout the Middle East and South-East Asia.
Many countries across these regions do not have the resources or geography to efficiently produce enough livestock to feed their population. Australia meets the demand for essential red meat protein by exporting cattle and sheep for food production and breeding, as well as chilled and frozen meat products.'

5. Live sheep and cattle exports are economically important to Australian rural communities and the Australian economy
Livestock exports are an important source of income and employment in Australian rural economies.
Just prior to the broadcasting of the Four Corners' program, 'Another Bloody Business', the Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, the National Farmers' Federation, the Sheepmeat Council and the Cattle Council sent a joint letter to all federal members of Parliament. This letter explains the importance of Australian livestock exports to the economies of rural communities in this country.
The letter states, 'The livestock export industry also plays a vital role in supporting jobs throughout regional Australia - particularly in the northern and western parts of the country. The livestock export industry contributes 13,000 jobs, including more than 11,000 jobs in rural and regional Australia, and wages and salaries totalling almost $1 billion annually.'
Live sheep, cattle and goat exports are a major part of Australian farmers' incomes.
They account for an estimated average of 20 per cent of the income earned by livestock producers in Victoria and other eastern states, according to the Victorian Farmers' Federation livestock division president, Simon Ramsay.
For Victorian farmers, the live trade also keeps up prices in the local market. Mr Ramsay has claimed 'Because of the demand for live sheep, the local price is being propped up. Without the live trade, the local price would drop 20 to 30 per cent.'
Meat and Livestock Australia states on its website, 'In addition to providing much-needed protein for global communities, the livestock export industry also supports the livelihoods of thousand of farming families and communities.' The industry employs 13,000 people across rural and regional Australia and is worth $1.8 billion to the Australian economy. The industry is also vital in underpinning livestock prices for sheep, cattle and goat producers across Australia by providing an additional market for livestock.'

Arguments in favour of banning live animal exports
1. Australian exporters cannot be sure humane slaughtering practices will be followed in importing countries
It has been argued that however humane the protocols developed by Meat and Livestock Australia for the export and slaughter of Australian livestock, Australia's effective control of what happens to these animals in importing countries is limited. There have been other recent examples of Australian livestock being severely mishandled on their arrival in importing countries.
On September 6, 2012 the Agriculture Department was informed that Australian cattle sent to a farm in Qatar were not provided with adequate food, water or shelter. Vet technician Deb Clarke has stated, 'No one had checked the air-conditioning in the calf unit - and it was over 50 degrees heat - and there were dead and dying animals everywhere, and I was just absolutely heartbroken.
Animals were too weak to even stand; they were lying in hot sand. They were frying, literally cooking, and at temperatures of 50-plus degrees they were frying from the inside out. It was shocking.'
It has been noted that even PK Livestock's approved modern abattoir, in Karachi, built to Australian specifications, slaughters animals in ways that many Australians would find distressing. (This was the abattoir the 21,000 sheep which were recently clubbed and stabbed to death were originally intended to go to.)
In an article published in The Australian on November 3, 2012, it was stated, 'While the place is scrupulously clean, a slaughterer still slits the sheeps' throats with a sharp knife before the still-writhing animals are hung by their ankles to be hosed down and drained of blood.
There is no humane stunning. It looks a painful death.'

2. Many animals die in transit
Critics of life animal export note that not only are animals subjected to inhumane slaughter practices. They also argue that the shipping itself often results in unacceptable slaughter and high death rates for the animals.
An article published in The Canberra Times on November 11, 2012, noted that dozens of ships have left Australia in recent years with animals that would suffer unacceptably high rates of traumatic death on board.
Citing government figures, the article notes that 703 sheep died in a consignment from Portland to Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain in June 2011; 1407 sheep died going from Fremantle to Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in August 2010; 903 sheep died going from Portland to Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in June 2010; 295 cattle died going from Fremantle to Egypt in February 2010; and 756 sheep died going from Fremantle to Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in the same time frame.
Statistics suggest that since the improvements instituted last year by Australian government agencies and exporters, the number of onboard livestock deaths has dropped; however, critics note there are still disturbing questions to be answered.
In an article published in The Australian on November 3, 2012, two days before the recent Four Corners report on the same sheep shipment to Pakistan, some disturbing questions were raised. It appears that when the initial destination, Bahrain, refused to take the 21,000 sheep, Australian authorities fast-tracked their own approval procedures to allow the sheep to be sent to Karachi, Pakistan. Critics note that the live transport of sheep and cattle is always problematic and that the scope for accident and mishandling remains great. Sheep and cattle onboard transit ships have to be unloaded if they are to survive. If something occurs to disturb this process, either they will die while still in transit, or they will be deposited at destinations that are not suitable.

3. A system of regulation that allows exporters to detect animal abuse is not enough
It has been claimed that what the revised Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) offers is an opportunity to detect when abuses have occurred rather than to prevent them. Critics claim this is insufficient.
West Australian Labor MP, Melissa Parke, has stated, 'Whether it is breeder cattle in Qatar or cattle sent for slaughter in Indonesia or sheep sent to Kuwait or Pakistan, we've seen profit put before animal welfare and despite all assurances to the contrary, the live export trade continues to stagger from one atrocity to the next. We can't continue to allow this to go on.'
A direct criticism of the operation of the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System has been made by Labor MP Kelvin Thompson. Mr Thompson has stated, 'If the system of regulation works, it works in the sense that an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff works, when I believe what is needed is some fencing at the top.
The most secure fencing would be what you might call the New Zealand fence where animals are killed in New Zealand and the meat products exported, but there are other possible types of fencing, such as a requirement for stunning or the introduction of an independent office of animal welfare.'
The recent brutal slaughter of 21,000 Australian sheep has been offered as demonstrating the complete inadequacy of the current regulatory system
When the sheep were off-loaded, the company Wellard issued a media statement on September 6, 2012, stating, 'The sheep have been discharged into a state of the art, modern, Australian-designed supply chain, which is ESCAS compliant and meets World Animal Health Organisation standards.'
The company also said it would provide oversight, together with Australian Government accredited vets. They claimed, 'Importantly, the livestock were discharged into a supply chain which was as good, if not better, than the market we had originally intended to supply to.' The absolute failure of these assurances has been seen by many as demonstrating the inadequacy of the regulatory system.
Critics maintain that the current system is an inadequate compromise designed to allow the live export trade to continue and not putting sufficient pressure on importers to amend their practices.

4. The economic impacts of ending livestock exports are not as great as has been claimed
It has been claimed that the economic consequences of ending livestock exports have been exaggerated.
In an opinion piece published in The Canberra Times on November 11, 20012, it was noted that 'At the height of the cattle export crisis in June last year the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences concluded that the economy-wide impact of suspending the live trade to Indonesia was likely to be negligible, but the regional impact in northern Australia would be more significant.'
According to the ABS, live cattle exports were worth $203 million in the first six months of this year and $464 million for the whole of the previous year. The live sheep trade was worth $169 million in the first six months of this year and $325 million in the previous year. These figures have been used to suggest that in the context of the Australian economy as a whole, the profits to be derived from livestock exports are small.
It has also been noted that from an economic point of view live animal exports may actually be harming Australian agriculture.
This point has been made by Clive Phillips in an opinion piece published in The Conversation on October 8, 2012. Dr Phillips believes the inevitable uncertainty surrounding live exports is to the detriment of the industry. Dr Phillips argues, 'Temporary bans on live cattle and sheep export have undermined confidence in the industry, driving property prices down and diminishing banks' willingness to lend for long-term improvement. If the industry wants to avoid death by a thousand cuts, it must act now to phase out live export.
A phasing out of export of livestock for meat over the next ten years or so may be a necessity for a viable industry in the long term. It would require careful preparation and arrangements for compensation for those adversely affected.'
Additionally it has been claimed that there are many importing nations which would happily receive frozen carcasses from Australia. Those who put this argument maintain that the issue is at least as much a problem with a lack of processing facilities in northern Australia. They note it is not merely that many countries either would not accept or are not prepared to transport frozen carcasses shipped from Australia. Rather, it is claimed, northern Australia does not have sufficient local facilities to slaughter and freeze sheep and cattle for export.
A recent study by economic consultancy ACIL Tasman, commissioned by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, claims that profits for some northern cattle producers could double if large-scale processing plants were established in northern Australia.
Opponents of the livestock export trade note that phasing in the replacement of this trade with domestic processing would reduce the loss of income from abolition of the live trade. Paul Malone, a member of the lobby group, Corangamite Against Live Animal Exports, has stated, 'There is no question that there would be a cost in doing this. But it is a price that must be paid.'

5. Australia's live export policy creates the problem it claims to address
It has been claimed that it is not reasonable for Australian exporters to claim that their regulatory practices are reducing animal suffering. Critics note that if Australia did not export live animals there would be no opportunity for these livestock to suffer.
This point has been made by Siobhan O'Sullivan in an opinion piece published in The Conversation on November 6, 2012. Ms O'Sullivan argues, 'While it might be true that as a result of the latest Four Corners program Australia will play a role in teaching Pakistani workers how to carry out large-scale animal slaughter more humanely (although no such agreement has been reached); and while it may also be true that as a result of Australian live exports to Indonesia Australia has been able to improve slaughter methods for Australian cattle in that country, isn't it also true that at best the only thing Australian exporters are doing is attempting to resolve problems that they generate in the first place?'
Ms Sullivan went on to argue, 'Aren't all these welfare problems a result of the very fact that Australian animals are being exported live, half way around the world? If that observation is correct then the "improving welfare in receiving countries" defence is a Catch 22. Live exports generate the welfare problems that exporters are solving via the live export trade.'
In response to the claim that if Australia did not supply this market, others would, critics note that Australia is the largest single supplier of livestock in the world. These critics maintain that were Australia to stop supplying these animals they could not be readily replaced by other nations.

Further implications
By the end of 2012, Australia's Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Scheme (ESCAS) is meant to apply in all countries to which we export live sheep and cattle.
Questions remain as to whether the extension of this scheme will solve the problems of animal cruelty and abuse which periodically come to light.
Even if all importing nations were to abide by the standards Australia has developed, it seems unlikely that this would eliminate all instances of what Australians regard as cruelty. For example, the Australian standards do not require that animals be stunned before slaughter. This means, even under the best of circumstances, animal suffering will continue.
This concern does not take into account what can occur when the standards are not applied. The most recent episode brought to light by the Four Corners report, 'Another Bloody Business' reveals what can happen when one contractual understanding is not acted on and when another is hastily cobbled together. Bahrain refused to take a shipment of Australian sheep on the basis of supposed health concerns about the animals and then when they were hastily arranged to be exported to Pakistan, both exporter and importer lost control of the livestock, with the local importer apparently being threatened that his abattoir would be closed down if he took the animals. They were then brutally killed in an ad hoc and inhumane manner.
Though supporters of live exports can claim that these circumstances were unusual, critics maintain they are not so unusual as to be unlikely to occur again.
What happens from this point will in large measure depend on the extent of the discomfort of the Australian public. When Four Corners ran its first program on the abuse of cattle exported to Indonesia in 2011, the extent of popular distress was so great that there was a six month ban imposed on live exports to Indonesian importers.
In the interim, the regulations and the supervisory procedures have been tightened, though currently they apply only to Indonesia.
This has allowed the livestock industry and those politically responsible for live exports to present themselves as having taken all reasonable measures. Many people seem to have accepted this, as the extent of popular outrage in response to the most recent Four Corners program on livestock exports has been less.
Therefore it remains problematic as to what the future of the industry will be. If there are more instances of severe animal abuse made public, the pressure of popular disquiet may be sufficient to halt the industry.
Long term planners have suggested that the most prudent approach would be to extend processing facilities in northern Australia so that Australian farmers can export frozen carcasses.

Newspaper items used in the compilation of this issue outline
AUST, September 4, 2012, page 7, news item by Milanda Rout, `Ship of 20,000 sheep stuck in Middle East'.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/federal-government-officials-export-company-trying-to-offload-20000-sheep/story-e6frg6nf-1226464297431

AGE, September 8, 2012, page 7, news item by Richard Willingham, `Activists fear new cruelty cases in animal sacrifices'.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/activists-fear-new-cruelty-cases-in-animal-sacrifices-20120907-25jzl.html

AGE, September 7, 2012, page 3, news item (photo of Kuwait market) by Richard Willingham, `Livestock cruelty allegation forces exports probe'.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/livestock-cruelty-allegation-forces-exports-probe-20120906-25hca.html

AGE, September 20, 2012, page 2, news item by Richard Willingham, `Warrant for sheep importer's arrest'.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/warrant-for-sheep-importers-arrest-20120919-26735.html

AGE, September 19, 2012, page 4, news item by Richard Willingham, `Dispute over health of 20,000 sheep in limbo'.
http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac;jsessionid=7077D5C2CAA4506E2F358E5C4F84898A?sy=afr&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=1month&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=brs&cls=15831&clsPage=1&docID=AGE1209197K2F7575R4O

AUST, September 18, 2012, page 7, news item by Joe Kelly, `Call for inquiry on "infected" sheep'.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/greens-senator-lee-rhiannon-calls-for-inquiry-on-infected-sheep/story-fn59niix-1226476105340

AGE, September 18, 2012, page 5, news item by R Willingham, `Pakistan will cull "healthy" sheep'.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/pakistan-will-cull-healthy-sheep-20120917-262no.html

AGE, September 21, 2012, page 8, news item (ref to Pakistan and disease claims) by Richard Willingham, `Vet gives sheep clean bill'.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/vet-gives-sheep-clean-bill-20120920-269hb.html

AGE, October 4, 2012, page 2, news item by Richard Willingham, `Sheep cull sparks rash of threats'.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/sheep-cull-sparks-rash-of-threats-20121003-26zsz.html

AGE, October 2, 2012, page 6, news item, `Pakistan denies sheep mistreated'.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/pakistan-denies-aussie-sheep-mistreated-20121001-26vrq.html

AGE, October 1, 2012, page 8, news item by P Martin, `Pakistani court order for tests on sheep'.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/pakistani-court-order-for-tests-on-sheep-20120930-26tsj.html

AUST, September 29, 29012, page 8, news item by Lanai Vasek, `Ludwig defiant on live sheep exports'.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/ludwig-defiant-on-live-sheep-exports/story-fn59niix-1226483798986

AUST, September 28, 2012, page 6, news item, `Wellard sheep "buried alive"'.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/wellard-sheep-buried-alive/story-e6frg6nf-1226482962827

AGE, September 28, 2012, page 9, news item by Richard Willingham, `Sheep slaughter "cruel and brutal"'.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/sheep-slaughter-cruel-and-brutal-20120927-26n7h.html

H/SUN, October 11, 2012, page 30, comment by Ed Gannon, `Ban on live exports will increase cruelty'.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/ban-on-live-exports-will-increase-cruelty/story-e6frfhqf-1226493188552

AUST, November 3, 2012, page 2, comment by Greg Sheridan, `Export block showed our disregard of Asia'.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/export-block-showed-our-disregard-for-asia/story-e6frg76f-1226509478849

AUST, November 7, 2012, page 13, editorial (with cartoon), `Live-trade industry must revisit welfare standards' (with letters on same page).
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/live-trade-industry-must-revisit-welfare-standards/story-e6frg71x-1226511755118

AUST, November 7, 2012, page 6, news item by Milanda Rout, `Cattle to have ears sliced off, Egyptian reports say'.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/cattle-to-have-ears-sliced-off-egyptian-reports-say/story-fn59nm2j-1226511791296

AUST, November 7, 2012, page 1, news item by Rout and Maher, `Revolt brewing over live exports as backbench concerns spread'.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/revolt-brewing-over-live-exports-as-labor-backbench-concerns-spread/story-fn59niix-1226511829565

AGE, November 7, 2012, page 4, news item by Richard Willingham, `Exported cattle face ear mutilation'.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/exported-cattle-face-ear-mutilation-20121106-28w2z.html

AUST, November 6, 2012, page 5, news item by Milanda Rout, `Minister briefed to show shock at cruelty'.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/minister-briefed-to-show-shock-at-cruelty/story-fn59nm2j-1226511059645