Animal welfare charity slams live import deal
An Australian animal welfare charity has criticized the recent signing of an deal on animal imports from Australia. Animals Australia say the agreement is only designed to ensure live animals are offloaded from a ship in the event of a trade or disease dispute. "These [agreements] have no legal standing whatsoever. The Howard government portrays these documents as guarantees against another Cormo Express incident. Yet they offer no real protection to Australian animals," said Glenys Oogjes. Live export practises came under scrutiny in Australia after the ship Cormo Express carrying 52,000 animals was turned away from Saudi Arabia in 2003 due to suspected cases of scrapie. The sheep were eventually given to Eritrea, but media coverage of the animals' condition led to calls from animal rights activists for the live export trade to cease. Animals Australia has previously complained to ministers about Australian sheep in Qatar being trussed, dragged and shoved into car boots. "Minister McGauran knows only too clearly the real worth of these [deals] yet he continues to laud them as 'animal welfare' achievements whilst conveniently ignoring the barbaric treatment our animals receive in importing countries," concluded Ms Oogjes.
