Live Export Exports Jobs

The AMIEU recently launched their campaign "Live Export Exports Jobs" through a press conference in Townsville. The campaign seems to have really resonated with Australians, as the story has been picked up by over 50 different media outlets, including 5 television stations around the country.

Below you can see video footage of guest speakers at the press conference, as well as the news stories that ran on TV, covering the campaign.



A number of articles appeared in local newspapers as well, following the press conference. The Forbes Advocate in New South Wales recently published a story focusing on the job loss created by the live export industry. In it, Roger Fletcher, managing director for Fletcher International Exports was quoted as saying about the live export trade,

"If they employed 13,000 people, we (processors) would employ many more times that... Our industry is the main employer in country regions, outside mining. It builds the town, we pay payroll tax."

With 960 meatworker jobs lost in the last year, the message is clear: Live Export Exports Jobs and Live Export Exports Cruelty.

Thank You for Taking Action This Election

The federal election results may still be pending, but one thing is certain: WSPA supporters have made their voices heard, loud and clear. We put out a call to action, asking you to send letters to your local newspapers and call in to talk back radio, voicing your opinions on live sheep export. The results were staggering!

We had thousands of supporters write letters to the editor. Every newspaper we listed on our Election Action website received at least one email from a WSPA supporter. So far we've seen letters appear in The MX, Dalby Herald, Sunday Mail, Wimmera Mail Times, Wellington Times, Murray Valley Standard, the Weekend Courier, the Advertiser, Glen Innes Examiner, and Donnybrook Bridgetown Mail.

We're keen to know if there are any more out there. If you had a letter published in your local paper too, please let us know.

Here are some of our favourites:With your efforts we are proving that Australians are demanding an end to the cruel live export trade.

When the new government is in place we will continue to keep animal welfare on the political agenda. Thank you to everyone who wrote or called over the last several weeks. It is through these actions that we take crucial steps towards ending live sheep exports!

The Humane Chain Comes to Taylor Square

This past Saturday was a gorgeous spring day in Sydney - the perfect weather for doing some community outreach outdoors. Along with two lovely volunteers, Sarah and Hazel (pictured below), I set up a market stall at the Sydney Sustainable Markets in Taylor Square to raise awareness of the cruel live sheep export trade.

We collected signatures from hundreds of local residents who oppose live exports. We turned the pledges into little ringlets to "fluff up" our sheep mascot who was on hand to attract a crowd. Here, some Darlinghurst locals join in and show their commitment to the cause:


Many thanks to the organisers and fellow stallholders at the Taylor Square Sustainable Markets for all of their support! The markets are held every Saturday from 8-1 and I can attest to some great food finds. Thanks of course also to our volunteers, and the hundreds of Australians who joined the Humane Chain by pledging their support to end live sheep exports.

You can show your support by reaching out to local media to speak out about the issue before the election. We encourage you to call in to your local radio station and broadcast your opinion of live exports. You can download a fact sheet and poster from our website as well. There are only five days left before the election, so your voice is needed now!

Sharon Troy, Campaign Officer WSPA Australia

Jobs lost due to live export: “just plain dumb” says local MP

“Live export exports jobs” echoed through Townsville on Tuesday as local meat workers, Union representatives and politicians launched a public campaign to phase out live export by 2015.

Labor candidate for Herbert Tony Mooney expressed his concern about job losses at the launch of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union’s (AMIEU) “live export exports jobs” campaign in Townsville this week.This year alone, 960 full-time Australian meat workers’ jobs have been lost nation-wide. In response to the large number of jobs already lost, Mr Mooney announced that he supported the AMIEU’s campaign to end live export by 2015.

“Last week I experienced a day in the life of a meat worker – it’s backbreaking work, so I appreciate what these workers do and their contribution to the community and economy.

“Nearly 300 jobs have been lost in Townsville, that’s just plain dumb – so I am supporting this campaign to end live export and if elected to the seat of Herbert look forward to working with the Union and broader industry to address the issue,” said Mooney.

“My father was a butcher so I’ve been a long-time supporter of the meat industry and meat processing,” he said.

The AMIEU press conference was set on the headland in front of the seaport which is frequented by live export vessels. Local meat workers peppered the headland as they came out in solidarity to fight for their jobs, two of whom were dressed as seven ft. trays of packaged meat. Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh raised her concerns in Parliament last week saying that it is not in the long term interest of livestock producers for the industry to decline.

“Top of the list will be the impact of live cattle exports,” said Bligh.

“I have met with the Meat Processing Industry and I know they are very concerned about the number of live cattle being sent overseas, instead of processed here...abattoirs and the jobs of meat workers, are not viable without a consistent supply of stock,” she said.

AMIEU Federal Secretary, Brian Crawford said that, “Every shipload of animals exported and processed overseas means less jobs right here in Queensland.

Local meat worker, Tiffany Kerle spoke about the huge impact that live export is having on Australian workers, their families and local communities.

“The loss of jobs and scaling-back of shifts is particularly hard on working mothers who have to be there for their family and for students who are trying to pay for their education.” Said Kerle.

“This year, for 267 people who no longer had employment it was just another hit, we all struggled to make payments on rent, mortgages, cars and to put food on the table due to live export,” she said.

The AMIEU is calling for the Government to phase out live exports, promote the existing chilled meat trade and in doing so, recognise the huge benefits that keeping Australian meat processing jobs in Australia will have on the economy and rural and regional communities.

Reuben Brand

URGENT! THIS ELECTION BROADCAST YOUR CONCERNS AND HELP END LIVE SHEEP EXPORT

With the Federal election only 18 days away, we urgently need your help to ensure that ending live sheep exports is a priority on the next Government's agenda.

Thanks to the incredible support from over 83,000 Australians who have joined WSPA’s Humane Chain, we’re making sensational progress towards ending this cruel trade forever. But to make sure ending live sheep exports is front of mind for the next Government, we need your help NOW.

Help by publicly broadcasting your concerns in a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or calling talkback radio.

When you click through you’ll also find a fact sheet so that your opinion can be informed, media contact information for your area, and pre-formatted letters for those short on time.

Take action now @ www.humanechain.org/electionaction and show candidates running in this election, that Australians want an end to the cruel live sheep export trade.
Thank you for your continued support!

Sharon Troy, Campaign Officer WSPA Australia

BREAKING NEWS: 200 sheep destroyed after truck crash

Sadly 200 sheep were destroyed after a stock truck rolled in central Victoria yesterday. Apparently the truck was carrying hundreds of sheep and tipped on a bend on the Wimmera Highway at Llanelly just west of Bendigo.

SMH and ABC reported that the driver was uninjured and police, State Emergency Service, Country Fire Authority and Department of Primary Industries officers were at the scene.

This accident is a terrible reminder of the risks inherent in transporting animals. WSPA advocates that all animal transport journeys must be as short as possible in terms of the time and distance travelled. Minimising the distance animals need to travel reduces the risks to their welfare, hence the importance of ending the live sheep trade to the Middle East.

Jessica Borg, Campaign Coordinator

Click here to read the full article.

KWINANA POLITICIANS SPEAK OUT AGAINST LIVE EXPORTS

Roger Cook, MLA for Kwinana in Western Australia was recently quoted as calling Australia's live sheep export trade "abhorrent".

Said Mr Cook, “I have a couple of concerns. I find the whole notion of live sheep export abhorrent and I am concerned about the welfare of the animals and I’d rather see jobs in relation to meat works kept in WA.”

Since the Fremantle Council recently voted to end live sheep exports there has been talk of the trade shifting out of Fremantle and into the ports at Kwinana. But it sounds like local politicians don't want the industry spreading to their town.

In addition to Roger Cook, just a few weeks ago, Kwinana Mayor Carol Adams spoke out against live exports at a local council meeting, calling it a "noxious trade".

Politicians in Western Australia and all over the country are beginning to hear our voices and speaking out against the industry. You can write to your local MP on the Humane Chain website or set up a meeting with your MP to express your opinions on live exports. Email us for more information.


Sharon Troy, Campaign Officer, WSPA Australia

Image of Kwinana via DrRoss on Flickr shared under a Creative Commons license.

THE STATE OF ANIMAL WELFARE ENFORCEMENT IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

A recent article in Perth Now by Narelle Towie highlights the detrimental changes to animal welfare standards in Western Australia. Towie describes how funding cuts have led to a number of incidents of animal cruelty going uninvestigated and notes that “Armadale MP Alannah MacTiernan [has] labelled policing of WA's livestock industry ‘a joke’”.

You can read the full piece here on Perth Now and leave your comments.

Dawn Lowe of the organisation Animals' Angels - Australia recently wrote a piece that gives some further background into the dismantling of WA’s Animal Welfare Unit Inspectorate and the implications for the animals leaving Australia through these ports.

Dawn's piece is available here as a PDF.

Reading about this lack of enforcement shows us that now, more than ever, we need to work towards putting a stop to cruel live sheep exports.

OUTPOURING OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT TO END LIVE SHEEP EXPORTS

This weekend WSPA staff and volunteers braved the cold weather at the Newtown Market Stalls in Sydney to harness community support for an end to live sheep exports. We reached our goal for the day: collecting 300 signed letters to our new Prime Minister Julia Gillard, urging her to show her support for Australia's animals by taking a stand against live exports.

All in all it was a great day. The citizens of Newtown really got into the Humane Chain spirit...
We even added some four-legged links to the Humane Chain!
And we couldn't have done it all without our amazing volunteers. Many thanks to Flo, Mary, Rebecca, Jo, Katie, and Luke for helping us spread awareness of live sheep export cruelty to so many new people!
Here's me with Flo, Campaign Coordinator Jessica Borg, and Mary, modelling our Humane Chain t-shirts - which are available for purchase through Neo Tokyo, where 100% of the proceeds go to WSPA.

We'll be out at another Market Stall in New South Wales next month, so we hope you'll stop by. For updates you can follow us on Twitter or become a fan of the Humane Chain on Facebook!


Sharon Troy, Campaign Officer WSPA Australia

A SUCCESSFUL LIVE EXPORT DEMONSTRATION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Last Tuesday activists took to the steps of Parliament House in Western Australia to protest live sheep exports. Organisers from Stop Live Exports were on-hand to present Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren with a petition signed by thousands of Australians who are also calling for a phase-out of the industry.
"This is not humane, this is not best practice and this is not how Australia should be treating its animals," said Ms MacLaren, addressing the rally of about one hundred supporters.
SLE Committee Member Michelle MacKenzie spoke optimistically about the turnout of support, saying "We've got people from all walks of life who realise there's an inherent cruelty in the trade. People are saying 'Why are we doing this when there's a clear alternative.'"

More photos and information about the event can be found on Ms MacLaren's website.

LIVE EXPORT GATHERING IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Next Tuesday the 22nd of June, Fremantle-based organisation Stop Live Exports will hold a peaceful protest on the steps of Parliament House in Perth. The group will present their petition calling for the end to live sheep exports, which has been signed by thousands of Western Australians, to Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren.
The gathering will take place at 1:00. Please click the image above to see a larger sized poster. More information can be found on the SLE website at stopliveexports.org.

GREENS MP KIM BOOTH JOINS THE HUMANE CHAIN

Yesterday representatives from The Body Shop presented over one thousand Humane Chain links to the Greens Primary Industry spokesperson Kim Booth MP outside of Parliament House in Tasmania. These links were collected from customers united against live sheep exports at the Hobart and Launceston stores.

Pictured above are Mr Booth and The Body Shop employees surrounded in the chains, representing the petition signatures, confined to just one square metre of standing room – the average amount of space allocated to three sheep traveling overseas.

Mr Booth spoke out against the cruelty of the industry saying, “The export of live animals is a sickening and inhumane process that leads to incalculable suffering for thousands of Australian livestock, damages Australia’s good name, and exports jobs out of our country."

"Very few Australians actually support this practice. Instead of live exporting hundreds of thousands of low-quality animals, Australia should be encouraging change and innovation in our primary industries.”

Mr Booth went on to thank The Body Shop employees for their commitment to the cause, acknowledging that many of them have worked on this campaign outside of their required hours of employment. He also reaffirmed the Green Party's commitment to pushing for a ban on live sheep exports.

We are delighted that more MPs are joining the Humane Chain and hearing the message that Australians do not support the live sheep export industry. You too can join the Humane Chain and show your support by joining our Facebook cause.

Sharon Troy, Campaign Officer WSPA Australia