Originally from: coleen
                        

----- Original Message -----
From: ...

Originally from: "Ross Minett" <...>
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2003 10:26 AM
Subject: Advocates for Animals' latest News Release – Calls for Australia to end live animal exports. 1/10/03.

NEWS RELEASE

Wednesday 1st October 2003

CALLS FOR AUSTRALIA TO END LIVE ANIMAL EXPORTS

On 2nd October, World Farm Animal Day, animal welfare groups are calling

on

the Australian Government to end the export of live farm animals in an
International day of protests. These protests come as over 50,000

'diseased'

Australian sheep remain stranded at sea in the Middle East. The sheep have
been incarcerated aboard the "ship of death" for over seven weeks, with no
country willing to accept them. Several thousand have already died.

Death and suffering have been endemic throughout the history of the live
export industry. Australia's relentless drive to expand its market for

'live

exports' has resulted in an increase in casualties associated with the
development of 'long-haul' overseas trade in live animals. Each year
Australia exports many millions of live animals – primarily sheep, cattle
and goats – for slaughter to the Middle East, Asia and Mexico.

They then face an arduous journey of up to 50 hours to an Australian port,
followed by sea then further road transportation. Loading and unloading

can

be stressful and handling often brutal. The surviving animals are usually
killed inhumanely without pre-stunning.

Apart from 'routine' deaths of animals on board ships, primarily due to
starvation, numerous disasters have befallen the hundreds upon thousands

of

animals caught up in the trade. Only when individual tragedies involving
large numbers of deaths occur does attention focus on the plight of the
countless animals pitifully sacrificed to earn export dollars for

Australia.

In 1985 a Senate Inquiry into the live sheep trade concluded that: "if a
decision were to be made on the future of the trade purely on animal

welfare

grounds, there is enough evidence to stop the trade". Some 18 years and
several critical reports later, the export of live animals from Australia
continues unabated.

Advocates for Animals is urging the Australian Consul in Scotland to

express

Advocates' concern at the trade to the Australian Government. Advocates'
Campaigns Director, Ross Minett, says: "Given the long history of routine
mortality and animal welfare disasters, we call on the Australian

Government

to end this shameful trade for good. To continue with such a trade in live
animals is completely unethical when it causes inherent, unavoidable and
unrelenting suffering."

– ENDS –

Notes to Editors

For further information please contact Ross Minett on 0131 225 6039 (out

of

hours 07946 517 585).

Yours sincerely
ROSS MINETT

Campaigns Director
Advocates for Animals
10 Queensferry Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH2 4PG
Tel: +44 (0)131 225 6039 Fax: +44 (0)131 220 6377
www.advocatesforanimals.org.uk