A live debate

I'm getting on my soap box for just a minute.

The Live Export debate has reared its head again this week following the death of more than two hundred and fifty head of cattle en route to Egypt from WA.

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/wa/content/2010/03/s2855150.htm

Five years ago, like most city kids, I knew nothing about the live trade. And despite knowing nothing, if asked, I most likely would have said I opposed it.

Some people will never be convinced that the trade is "right", and that's perfectly reasonable. Everyone's entitled to their opinion.

But wouldn't it be nice if everyone who had an opinion on the live trade had an informed opinion.

Meet my mate Annabelle Coppin. A Pilbara pastoralist, Annabelle won a Nuffield Scholarship and spent most of 2008 investigating and developing a clearer understanding of why it is so important that the live trade continues.

Animal welfare was just one of the issues Annabelle considered.

"There is legitimacy behind some of the pressure from animal interests groups in response to isolated but unacceptable animal welfare practices in the live export supply chain. Changes, even for the better, do not usually eventuate in any human culture without pressure. However, the solution put forward by these groups in response to any of these challenges is to simply ban the live export trade. This is a vision which does not appreciate the thousands of livelihoods involved in the supply chain or the Australian livestock industry’s future contribution to the nation’s economy and responsibility to supply the global market place with food it demands and requires.

Banishing Australian livestock will not magically improve animal welfare and slaughter practices as there is no evidence to support the claim that stopping live exports will have any positive influence on attitudinal change towards global animal welfare."

Check out the rest of Annabelle's report "Sailing ahead - the Australian livestock export trade"

http://www.liveexportcare.com.au/StockmansBlog/Annabelle/AnnabellesBlog.htm

Off me soap box now.