SHEEP IN THE LIVE EXPORT TRADE NEED YOUR VOICE
Live export is back on the political agenda and we need your help to keep it there.
In May 2022, the Albanese Labor government was elected with a promise to end the live sheep trade, in which millions of animals suffer severely during torrid journeys - only to face terrifying, fully conscious slaughter at their destinations.
While the end of the live sheep trade is welcome news, the Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister have said that they do not envisage it ending before 2025 (i.e., not in the government’s current three-year term) - a statement that condemns millions more sheep to avoidable suffering on board filthy, hot, live export ships.
The Albanese government has so far made no commitment to an end date.
To make matters worse, most live export ships leave Australia without an independent observer on board to monitor compliance with animal welfare standards.
Is this OK with you?
While the federal government’s new advisory panel deliberates on a timeline to phase out live export, the industry and its lobbyists are pressuring the government into watering down its election promise to end it.
Public Pressure Works!
The hard-won northern summer ban on shipping sheep to the Middle East during the hottest three months of the year (June to mid-September) was at risk of being weakened, but after strong representations from animal advocates the Department of Agriculture has announced that the ban on shipping sheep during this period will be retained.
This is a win for the animals, and for all of us who voiced our concerns and objections during the Department’s review of live sheep exports by sea in early 2022.
We need to continue to speak up and make sure that our voices are heard too, on behalf of the millions of helpless animals caught up in the cruel live export trade.