I would like to apologise to our members, and to
the broader livestock industry, for the hurt and anger caused by the footage shown
to the Australian public this week, of horrendous acts of cruelty to our cattle
in Indonesia.
There is not a person in this country who has seen
this footage who was not sickened by it.
No section of our community was more distressed
than those of us whose life’s work is the caring and raising of livestock.
I have been to abattoirs in Indonesia and have never
seen such barbaric acts. Actions so depraved they defy any rationale and are
totally indefensible.
What was shown is neither cultural nor religious –
just cruel.
A decade’s worth of industry and government representatives,
plus independent animal welfare experts have not seen such cruelty – or
something would have been done.
I can assure you that if this disgusting cruelty
had been witnessed by any Australian industry representatives, it would
immediately have triggered action to bring it to a halt.
On seeing the footage, industry immediately moved
to suspend supply of Australian cattle to the facilities identified.
MLA is now working intensely with all sectors of
the industry to see that additional measures are implemented, such as:
- Asking
the Australian Government to regulate that Australian cattle only be exported to
accredited controlled supply chains in Indonesia where we can assure our cattle
are handled in line with OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) standards;
- Working
with the Indonesian Government and customers to rapidly increase the acceptance
and use of stunning in this market; and
- Significantly
increasing the team of animal welfare officers working on behalf of our
industry to ensure the equipment installed is used properly, every time.
MLA’s inability to legislate positive animal
welfare protections in our overseas livestock export markets, or control
commercial supply chains in these countries, leaves us with only training and
infrastructure tools to influence change.
There are over 700 abattoirs in Indonesia. We have
been working in 100 of these where the majority of Australian cattle go. This
issue has made it clear that we must only allow our cattle to reach those
facilities where we can be absolutely confident they will be handled in line
with internationally accepted welfare practices.
To date the internal commercial system has not
allowed this, however all parties involved in this trade are absolutely
committed to change.
Indonesia is a complex and difficult market
environment. Changing hundreds of years of practices and culture through
training and infrastructure is not an easy task. Four Corners has shown we have
not made sufficient progress over the last 10 years in the market and as a
result have not met our stakeholder expectations.
You, as investors in these programs through your
levies, deserve to have confidence that MLA is delivering on industry’s clear
directive to improve the welfare of our animals in export markets.
Given this, the MLA Board will instigate an
immediate review of all industry-funded international animal welfare programs in
all markets to provide members with an honest and frank assessment of the
return on their investment.
I understand the anger and frustration members are feeling.
All I can do is assure you that we are doing everything in our power to find a
solution to this problem and implement it as soon as we possibly can.
MLA remains fully committed to
providing services to industry across all of our activities in research,
development and extension as well as domestic and international marketing while
these solutions are being implemented.
Unfortunately I have been unable to personally
respond to the hundreds of emails and phone calls I have received on this issue.
However I will be able to provide you with details of a pathway forward for
Indonesia and the review of our animal welfare programs within the next few
days.
Both must deliver the animal welfare outcomes our producers
and the community expects.