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For the last
several years, the Australian government has been conducting a
PR stunt to try and convince the world that its policy of
exporting live animals is actually humane. In 2018, officials
created the "independent observer" program to ensure animals'
welfare was maintained on all ships. Originally, the
government required an observer to supervise every single
journey in which live animals were exported to other
countries. Within one year, regulations loosened
significantly, and within another year, the program was paused
entirely. Now it's been an entire year since any live
export ship has left Australia with an observer on board,
meaning for one whole year, care for the treatment of sheeps,
cows, and horses was thrown to the wind.
The government explained away
this change in policy by stating that independent observers
were "non-essential" personnel during the COVID-19 lockdowns,
as if animal protection were somehow not important. But these export journeys inflict tremendous
cruelty, stress, abuse, and neglect on the poor beings
involved.
In the past, animals
have died from starvation, injury, freezing conditions, baking
alive in horrible heat, and myriad other horrific
ways. If they survive these floating deathtraps, the
animals are then butchered to become dinner meats overseas.
Independent observers were meant to prevent this type of
cruelty, but the government has said the program won't resume
until mid-2022 at the earliest. This means mistreatment,
cruelty, and possibly death will continue for at least another
agonizing year. Tell Australia's government: independent
observers on live export transit ships are absolutely
"essential" employees! The program to protect exported animals
must be reimplemented now!
Thank you,
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Miranda
The Care2 Petitions Team
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P.S. Broiling,
freezing, and starving to death, livestock animals on export
ships suffer horrific fates. The Australian government must protect these
creatures now. |
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