Though there are some situations where the migration of animals needs to be supported (read below), live exports destined for slaughter needs to be abolished.
There are a number of reasons why Australia exports live animals to various parts of the world. Some of these are, from my perspective, perfectly reasonable, and the welfare of the animal will be paramount. For example, when a prime horse, cattle, or sheep are exported for reproduction and valued for their genes, we can generally be quite confident that these will be not only well cared for during transport, but also valued ‘prizes’ when arriving to their new home.
The other side to the live export scene is, on the contrary, horrendous: basically, animals are packed in what is reminiscent of barbaric times, only to arrive to their destination to be slaughtered in ways that would not be permitted in Australia. When they are slaughtered in a manner that would be permitted in Australia, the question remains as to the necessity to have them transported in such a distressing manner in the first place.
Australia should lead by reasonable and caring example. If we continue to have farms to provide meat, which inevitably means having the animal slaughtered, then the responsibility for their care up to and including their final day rests in Australia.
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