Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dale Stiller on June 13, 2011 at 5:43am

Dear Sir,

I must introduce myself. My name is Scot Braithwaite and my life has basically revolved around live export since I was 10 years old. I was unloading cattle boats in Malaysia at the age of 13. I have worked for all the major cattle companies including as a Head Stockman in the Northern Territory. I have a degree in economics from the Queensland University and I personally have sold more than 1.5 million head of cattle into Indonesia since 1991. I am presently employed as the marketing manager for Wellard rural exports.

 

 I am writing to you after the Monday program to say that although I abhor the treatment of the animals shown in the video, your one sided approach to the subject and the possible effect of that of a ban on live exports is too big a price to pay for a report based on the evidence of an organization that’s charter is to shut us down. I have the following points to make. I would like to have the same time as those who denigrated my life to show you the other side of our industry. To show you what is really going on. In Australia there used to be thing about “A fair Go”. You have gone with images provided by one person followed up by your investigative journalist who spent a week in Indonesia. Your report makes out that close to 100% of Australian cattle are treated as was shown on TV.

 

1 the ship that appears in the footage “for less than 30 seconds” is a vessel that cost tens of millions of dollars to build. We have had 3 separate media groups sail with this ship and it can in no uncertain terms be described as best in class. The Wellard group has another 3 vessels of the same standard with another 2 being built in China. This is a total investment of 400 million dollars to ensure that livestock exports from Australia are undertaken at the utmost levels of cow comfort and animal welfare.

 

2 the feedlot that was filmed was given a 10 second view. This feedlot is without a doubt world class. Your viewers should have at least had the opportunity to view large numbers of cattle eating and sleeping comfortably in a fantastic facility. This company has in addition moved to kill all his cattle through stunning system that he has control of. This owner has spent 20 years of his life in the industry, has built his business from nothing, has done all that is required of him from an animal welfare point of view yet your reporter makes no mention of these things.

 

3 within A 3 HOUR DRIVE OR a 15 Minute helicopter there are another 3 world class facilities. All three feedlots including the one filmed, are at, or better than, what can be found in Australia. The cattle being fed, and the ration being fed, leads to a lot less animal health issues then a similar size operation in Australia.

One of these facilities is operated and owned by a large Australian pastoral house. They had no mention in your supposed unbiased report. The operation is run by a North Queensland man who, through His absolute dedication to excellence has built a feedlot and slaughtering system that his company, the industry and himself can be very proud of. The system is closed, all the cattle are already killed through their own abattoir. They import 20 to 25000 cattle year. They have been doing this for at least 5 years. Why should they be shut down? For what reason could anyone justify closing this operation down, especially without even bothering to look at what goes on.

 

4 the other world class feedlots that could have been investigated with a 3 hour ride in the car are owned by a large publicly listed Indonesian company. In all, they have on feed 50,000 cattle and import about 120,000 cattle a year. They have recently built an abattoir( the one that was briefly shown on the program) They built this 2 years ago as they knew that modern methods must come to Indonesia and they were willing to make the investment to make it happen.

 The total investment from these 3 feedlotters alone in infrastructure and stock is over 100 million dollars. Add to that the hundreds of millions that Wellard have recently invested in ships and do you really believe that these people would leave the final product to a murderous bastard with a blunt knife? They not only have tried to ensure the welfare of the animal but have made investments to make the changes all along the chain. These people deserve to have their side of the story heard. If the system is not perfect, and it isn’t, they have the wherewithal and the incentive to make it happen in a very short time.

These 3 importers who have shown a commitment to everything good about animal production, handle 45 % of total imports.

 

The other major issue that was not covered was the social responsibility that all feedlotters in Indonesia practice. Their operations are in relatively isolated poor areas; the feedlots provide employment opportunity,  advancement through effort, and a market for thousands of tons of feedstuffs grown for the cattle. My understanding is that 8000 people are directly employed by the feedlots and over 1000000 people are reliant on the regular income made from supplying corn silage and other feedstuffs. This is not made up, it is fact. It can be easily checked. I will bet my 1000000 farmers against the 1000000 signatures on the ban order. It is very easy to sit in your comfortable chair and criticize but is it really worth the human cost to ban something that can be fixed and fixed reasonable quickly?

That is Sumatra.

 

In JKT there is the largest privately owned abattoir that kills about 4 to 6000 heads a month. It is a well run facility that has no welfare issues. In addition it was working on getting a stun system in place well before the 4 corners report.  No photos from here, yet this is another who has been doing the right thing and who will lose his business if the trade is banned.

 

The largest Importer in to Jakarta, has also built a slaughter facility in the past 12 months. It has not been commissioned yet but can be made ready within a month. They also have a private bone to pick with the program. AS was not reported in the show, abattoirs in Indonesia are operated by any number of individual ‘Wholesalers”. They control the space and the manpower kills their number for the night and then hand over to the next team. In any one night 8 to 10 separate operators can be using the same facility. In the case of the footage of the head slapping the camera panned to the cattle waiting and the tags of AA, Newcastle Waters and his company were made very prominent. Yes, they were there but the team that handled was different to one being filmed. They protest, that their crews are well trained, no head slapping occurs and very large and sharp knives are used to ensure a bloody but quick end. I have no reason to doubt them because I have seen a lot of their cattle handled at point of slaughter and their crews are well trained with immediate results. Where can their case be heard?

 

I have watched literally thousands of cattle slaughtered in the boxes in Indonesia. Yes there are problems, as there are at every point of slaughter on every type of animal in the world, but 98% of the cattle I watched killed was quick and without fuss. Why is there not one shot of what happens 98% of the time?  The shots of outright cruelty are totally unacceptable and the slaughter of cattle is still gruesome and confronting but is not as prevalent as portrayed in your report. Yes it does some times happen but it is the exception not the rule. And we are already taking steps to improve the system and we have the ability to ensure all animals are stunned in a very short time.

 

Yes there are a couple of operators who in the short term will not be able to handle the new way. But they will be dropped, no commitment to stunning, no supply. No negotiation. There are also a number of operators privately owned who were, to all intents and purposes, doing the right thing. They were asked to supply through the boxes and they have. They will be asked to only supply though a stunning FACILITY and they will. They have far too much invested in the whole industry over many years to not do as we ask.

 

I am asking for a fair go. You have been expertly manipulated. Hear the actual other side of the story let the Australian public see both sides. I am happy to make all the arrangements. This is too important to let sit with the images you portrayed on Monday without recourse.

Scot Braithwaite

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Permalink Reply by Dale Stiller on June 13, 2011 at 5:51am

My Story by Kylie Stretton

About 14 years ago, my high school geography teacher planted a little seed of anger in my head about people’s preconceptions of the rural industry when he told our class that “graziers were the bane of this earth.”  That seed lay dormant ...for a while, until last year, it started to shoot when the Bligh Government labelled producers as “environmental vandals.”  Now it is positively blooming with the fall out of the Live Export Issue. 

  I believe we are fighting for much more than to be able to market our cattle. We are fighting for the education of and acknowledgement and understanding from our city neighbours that we are not rich hill billies, stupid or backwards or cruel. That we do not rape and pillage the earth, that we love and cherish the land we work on and the livestock we produce.   We are fighting for respect because we too are hardworking people and pay our taxes. That we do our best to provide our nation and the world first-class produce. Despite the "hardships" of isolation, distance, Mother Nature and above all constant criticism. And we do it with pride.  

 

This is my story:   My dad left home when he was 14 to go ringing and droving.  He worked extremely hard, finally gaining his own property after years of working in the mines, and stock work on the side.  We have grown up with the stories of  mickies, rodeos, good dogs, freezing mornings and aboriginal stockmen just to name a few.  He is an extremely hard working man, so caring and compassionate to others, always ready to help anyone in need and always with a smile and a joke.  My brother is just like him.  

My mum’s family managed “Banchory” between Clermont and Alpha for the best part of 40 years.  Mum worked as a nurse in the Clermont Hospital before marrying Dad and moving out to the station he was working on.  My mother is the salt of the earth, the rock of our family and I once heard her described as ruling with an iron fist in a velvet glove.  My sister’s the same, I hope I can be too. 

 

 In 1990 we moved to a station on the Burdekin Dam when I was 9.  It was full of cleanskins and run down fences, that’s when I learnt what it meant to be a rural Australian.  By 1993 we were in the grip of a severe drought.  The days became a blur of keeping crows from pecking poddie’s eyes out, hundreds of weaners needing to be fed hundreds of bales of hay, dry dams (including the house supply), mixing lick, dead and dying cattle.  There were whispers of men committing suicide from the feeling of sheer hopelessness.   My hands were so rough and calloused from lugging hay bales, I’m surprised I could lift them, I was so tiny.  I used to only do a couple of hours of school a day through a School of Distance Education. I did a lot at night too just to free up my days to be a part of things.  I remember my dad’s usually sparkly eyes being so dull with despair as we were carting water, and him saying to me “A man just feels so useless”.    They always say the darkest hour is before dawn. 

Between Christmas and New Year in ’93 we had a couple of inches of rain and our hopes were raised.  Everything turned green, but not from the grass.  We had a plague of caterpillars that ate all the leaves off the trees.  Then the heat wave struck.  We were in town the in the first day of crippling heat.  We came home to find dead chooks and one of our b****** had killed all but one of her pups trying to keep them cool.  Dad did a lick and water run the next day, he took for ever to come home, we started to worry.  Throughout the morning birds such as kookaburras and tawny frogmouths found their way into the house, seeking out the cool of the cement floor, so exhausted from the heat they let us pick them up to wet them.  Dad finally came home, every time he pulled up, birds flew under the car for the shade as there were no leaves left on the trees.  He told us how he tried to wet the dirt down to give them some relief.  It’s men like this that activists have labelled barbaric.  

                                   Grubs ate foliage of trees in drought Jan 1994

 

Throughout this time my mum, was just like every other rural woman.  Stoic, supportive, extremely hard working and never showed her tears, although surely there were many when nobody was looking.  I have no doubt that it was her, like every other rural woman that held things together.  It’s women like this that activists have said don’t deserve Australia’s support  

After New Year it was time to go to Boarding School, I knew I was lucky to go and I really don’t know where the money came from.  I also didn’t want to go, who would have the time to keep the crows off the poddies?  As Mum and Dad dropped me off, the heavens finally opened up.  My parents more or less dropped me and ran, like so many other parents.   I had mixed feelings that day, elation that the drought had broken, sadness because I wouldn’t see “my” place coming back to life. I went home for a weekend a few weeks later and the change was amazing. 

As I lay in my bed that night, I could hear an eerie noise.  It became louder and louder and all I could think of was a story an Indigenous dorm mate told me about Kadatchi Man.  As I lay in my bed in the dark listening to the shrieks getting louder, I couldn’t bear it anymore and ran to my parents’ room.  At 13 years old, I had forgotten what the sound of frogs rejoicing in the running creek sounded like.  It’s children like this who activists have said don’t deserve a future.

 

  I’m grown up now, with two small children of my own.  My husband has worked so hard and we’ve sacrificed so much, this year we were finally living the dream.  We have our own company, totally reliant on the cattle industry, doing what he’s always wanted to do, and he’s damn good at it.  Now he’s losing hope and talking about going to the mines.  Its people like us activists have said don’t deserve a livelihood.  

So that’s my story, there are so many  others out there, many much more heart breaking than this and if the ban on live export continues, there will be thousands more.  They will be stories of despair, heartbreak, death, bankruptcy and loss. They will be stories of people who have been forsaken by their nation.   Just like us, everyone in the cattle industry has invested so much blood sweat, and tears into what they do.  We have worked at it for generations, through flood, fire, drought and cyclones.  Through accidents, death and illness when your only medical help is a Flying Doctors Medical Chest and their doctor on the other end of the radio or phone if you were lucky enough to have one. 

Past generations have kept their head down, and tried to stay out of trouble.  They went about their immense work load quietly.    WELL NOT ANYMORE!  It’s time that rural Australia stands up and be heard!  And be heard we will.  We are sick and tired of being pushed around and we will not go down without a fight. Because we are fighting for our past and we are fighting for our future.  We are so damn proud of who we are, and you can never, NEVER, take our pride. 

 Kylie Stretton

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Permalink Reply by Paul Saward on June 13, 2011 at 8:08am

This is a story that should be told to the nation and to our politicians in particular. Unfortunatly our media thrives on sensational stories that are not balanced.

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Permalink Reply by Joanne Rea on June 13, 2011 at 8:28am

Kylie

Your story brought tears to my eyes.

I suspect there are many more stories and  many more tears to come.

  

                                   Grubs ate foliage of trees in drought Jan 1994

 

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Permalink Reply by Jan Courtney on June 13, 2011 at 9:03am

I have just received Scott Braithwaite's letter as an email attachment from a friend in the ACT.  I had previously read it on Just Grounds, and am delighted that it is now on the "email circuit", which can be pretty powerful.  I wonder if it would be OK for me to attack Kylie's story to an email and send it on its way ?   I guess it is public domain now that she has published it here,  but I would like an OK to send it on.  Janet C 

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Permalink Reply by Kylie Stretton on June 13, 2011 at 9:45am

Hi Janet, I don't mind if you send it on, I've sent it to everyone I know and have encouraged them to send it on as well.  

 

Thanks

Kylie

Janet Courtney said:

I have just received Scott Braithwaite's letter as an email attachment from a friend in the ACT.  I had previously read it on Just Grounds, and am delighted that it is now on the "email circuit", which can be pretty powerful.  I wonder if it would be OK for me to attack Kylie's story to an email and send it on its way ?   I guess it is public domain now that she has published it here,  but I would like an OK to send it on.  Janet C 

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Permalink Reply by Dale Stiller on June 13, 2011 at 11:27am

 

Letter by Cyndi Bakalian

June 12, 2011

 

Dear Prime Minister Gillard and

Agricultural Minister Ludwig,

 

... My husband, Steve, and I own Northern Feed and Cube Pty Ltd in Katherine, Northern Territory. We make stockfeed and our primary market is the live cattle trade from the Top End Ports of Wyndham, Darwin, Karumba, Maurilyan, Cairns and Townsville. We supply feed for the cattle while they are on the boats and also in the pre-export facilities prior to their being loaded onto the boats. A small portion of our market goes directly to the stations where the cattle are grown. Live Export is not a portion of our business it is our business.

 

We started this company from a bare block of land in late 1996 to a business employing 12 full time people with a turn over of approx 5 million dollars today.

Northern Feed and Cube is currently the largest purchaser of hay in the NT purchasing approximately $3,000,000 in local hay and grain crops. This money and the over $500,000 in cash wages paid to our employees goes directly into the local Katherine economy. We do not employ backpackers, we have local Katherine employees. It has taken 15 years for us to assemble the fabulous staff we now have.

 

Normally this time of year we have 2-3 boats a week that we are supplying fodder to. We would also be supplying fodder to the pre export depots for those cattle. NFC has two road trains of its own and utilises sub haulers to assist with transporting fodder to the boats and to bring hay in. We normally know approximately a month out what boats we will be loading. So at any given time we might have 15-25 orders pending – “the order board”

 

The day after the suspension of Live Cattle to Indonesia we had 1 pre export order for the cattle that were now not going on a boat scheduled for the next few days. That has now been delivered and we have no orders. Not one order on our order board.

However ,we still have 12 full time employees. Employees who are counting on us to pay their wages, their super, their holiday and sick pay.

We are still irrigating hay that we have already paid to plant, fertilise and grow.

We still have contractors harvesting hay that we have purchased from local growers.

We still have equipment being worked on at local mechanics.

We still have payments on vehicles and equipment purchased.

We still have maintenance that must be done on schedule for the large plant equipment and the prime movers, trailers, forklifts, telehandlers, and other plant.

We still have to buy fuel for all of those to run, and pay for the fuel they put into the tank two weeks ago before any of this happened.

We are still paying electricity bills which are generally over $10,000 a month.

We are still paying our insurance.

Ministers, What am I to tell all of these people ? “Sorry, the government has stopped my income so I now cant pay you”.?

 

I didn’t harm anyone or any animals and I will guarantee not one of the people that work at NFC did either. Not one of us at NFC wants to see cattle or any other animal abused. But how is hurting these good people who work for NFC who have done the right thing by getting jobs and doing that job well – supporting their families, how is that going to make up for something happening in Indonesia? My employees did not say we are going to go get jobs at NFC so we are involved in Live Export. They got jobs in a small town with a local employer. They were not making a stand for or against Live Export they are working to support their families. They are not on the dole, they are not doing drugs, they are doing the right thing – they have honest jobs and pay their taxes have car and mortgage payments and are part of the local community.

 

Why is Australia wanting to hurt them?

What about the farmers in the Katherine region? The government has developed the farming

ground in the north for crops such as hay. For years the government has encouraged the growth

of such properties as part of the supply for the live export chain. This same government who wooed people to move to the north, to clear the land and grow crops here is the same government who overnight removed the major market for those crops. NFC is by far the largest purchaser of hay and grain crops in the Katherine Darwin region. While some hay is sold to stations and individuals the largest amount is sold to NFC to make fodder for the live export trade.

 

Remove this market and there is simply no other to replace it. The local area will not be able to use this excess hay so growers will not be able to sell their product. They have paid or have incurred the debt to prepare the ground, plant, fertilise, and in most cases harvest these crops. Now, at the last minute they have no way to sell this product to recover their costs, or to pay their bills. What are they to tell their banks? In small towns other businesses will know that this will effect our company and their employer. Other businesses and tradespeople will begin to question their and our abilities to pay for things. Everyone associated with NFC will be compromised now because “people” will begin assuming they will loose their job, that our company will fail. The stress and worry of these 12 people their partners, children and extended families is not helping one single beast in Indonesia –but it is definitely harming 50 to 60 Good, hard working Aussies and that is only our company!

 

Australia can voice its outrage in a lot of ways that will not harm the innocents in this like my workers and other Aussies. Australian’s can vote by not taking that trip to Bali, not purchasing Indonesian products. But by banning the export of Australian cattle they are only addressing part of the problem and hurting their fellow Australians. Indonesia needs to feed its people. There are other countries out there who will step in and sell their cattle to Indonesia. Those countries won’t care how the cattle are slaughtered so the end result could be many more cattle abused than now. Of course any animal abused is too many, but at least if Australian remains in there then the education and monitoring can continue. It is improving, not quick enough, and we need to work on that, but at least it is moving forward with the constant pressure of Australia there. Once this market it lost and others get a foot hold it will be harder to get it back.

 

So Prime Minister Gillard, Minister Ludwig and everyone else who is involved with this, please listen to those of us in the live export chain that are professionals doing our jobs well and with dedication. Don’t kill our livihoods because certain employees in a foreign country are not doing as trained. By all means we must fix that issue but not by sacrificing an industry made up of hard working families trying to do the right thing.

 

Cyndi Bakalian

Proud Director of

Northern Feed and Cube Pty Ltd

Katherine, Northern Territory

Australia

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Permalink Reply by Rob Moore on June 13, 2011 at 11:28am

Kylie says-

 

Past generations have kept their head down, and tried to stay out of trouble.  They went about their immense work load quietly.    WELL NOT ANYMORE!  It’s time that rural Australia stands up and be heard!  And be heard we will.  We are sick and tired of being pushed around and we will not go down without a fight. Because we are fighting for our past and we are fighting for our future.  We are so damn proud of who we are, and you can never, NEVER, take our pride.

 

Great letter Kylie.    I am not one to skite and rarely bother to look back but our story and many others are similar. Against the odds we have built up a family property- pretty run down due to probate, school fees and poor commodity prices- paid off all debt raised a family built the property into an extremely efficient performing business and high quality stock and personal I am confident in my abilities having walked the walk.

 

My kids are the future here and to rural Aust and crazy left wing green socialists are trying to shut down the whole of Aust not just us.

 

We have got to pull together before it is too late!

 

I urge everyone to listen to this-

 

http://www.mtr1377.com.au/index2.php?option=com_podcasti

Heatley is telling whoppers-

  Mla is a producer company -bs it is public service.

  He didn't know what was going on over there-bs he was on a live export advisory committee about 8 years ago and this wonderful killing box is in its mark 4 edition.

 

This rogue element he mentions is the Australian Beef Assoc in case anyone doesn't know!

The Govt is on a pr stunt to pretend that MLA is us producers. I just ph Athol Economeau ABA director to get on and sort this out tomorrow morning on Steve's show.

 

 We have good members like Paul above and Ian McCamley who are office holders  within the Cattle Council who never have many opinions- Surely it is a bit like a firestation- not much happens most of the time but nobody wants to be missing in action when the fire starts.

 

MLA is corrupt - simply by virtue of all its non disclosure contracts. They are indefensible!

Another powerful interview-
http://www.mtr1377.com.au/index2.php?option=com_podcasti

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Permalink Reply by noel porter on June 13, 2011 at 11:50am

well done Rob Moore

Like you say we are all heads down and busy working with our families in an environment that has persecuted ,bullied and harrassed us.

 

Well done .Its time to expose all the corruption ,lies ,deals done behind closed doors .

All of the collusion ,getting into bed with each other as corporations and groups have done in the past.

MLA is corrupt .So true.

 

good on ya .Rob .I agree wholeheartedly.

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Permalink Reply by Janet H. Thompson on June 13, 2011 at 12:50pm

Excellent discussion, Dale, thank you, and thanks to each person who has taken the time to contribute. 

 

Kylie and Cyndi, your letters are both absolutely fantastic.   

 

Scot, yours very effectively points out the one-sided, biased nature of OUR ABC.  Why would they not endeavour to paint a balanced view of the Indonesian situation? 

 

Why are we forced to pay for our own demise?  (That can apply to MLA forced levies as well as to ABC.)

 

Grimly Yours,

Janet

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Permalink Reply by Dale Stiller on June 13, 2011 at 1:48pm

My story by Letasha Young 

The grass is belly deep on my beautiful little herd of brahmans.  We have had a great wet season.  As we ride around them, our sense of acheivement and satisfaction is unmistakeable.  Some curl their tails buck and play others walk quietly into the mob, ...as we begin to muster. Our horses are feeling good too.  We quietly wait as the chopper brings more cattle into us, our herd grows but still continues to graze.  A lovely line of greys, grown from calves, some have names, others do not, but they are content.

 

These cattle went to Indonesia earlier this year.  I was horrified by what I saw on 4 corners.  As was the rest of the nation, no one likes animal cruelty, not office workers, not nurses, not your everyday Aussie, and certainly NOT your cattle producers in Northern Australia.  However, it seems they are to be punished for a minority's wrong doings.

 

We have just come out of a big wet season, some stations just getting their cattle to the yards as the announcement was made " suspended only for 6 months".  It's only 6 months, it has already been 6 months since the last pay cheque.   6 months from now we will be well into our build up, it is the most humid, sticky, hot time of year.  Water is drying up, feed is low with no nutritional value, supplement needs to be fed out, water needs to be pumped, dams need checking, fire's need fighting, fences need fixing, OH, not to mention; the family needs feeding, mortgages need paying, fuel is needed for the pumps and generator for power, school fees need paying, rego's need doing....Hey Merry Christmas.  If they make it thru that 6 months, welcome, to the start of the wet season another 6 months.Rain that stops you driving to your front gate let alone getting cattle out to an abbitoir or to port......  Can anybody these days afford 18 months with no income????

 

If suspending Live Export and flooding our domestic market with beef is the only answer the current government has, well, It just ISNT good enough.  I grew up knowing that to eat meat, cattle die.  Our abbitoirs do it everyday, so why cant the few accreditated ones in Indosesia keep processing while we spend the next 6 months getting as many as we can up to the same accreditation.  If this is really an act to stop animal cruelty, then lets address the problem.  Lets not become a nation that turns it back on it's own and turns a blind eye to cruelty that would only get worse.

 

Bush people are strong, passionate, hard working and loyal to their animals, do they deserve this?

 

Letasha Young

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Permalink Reply by Rashida Khan on June 13, 2011 at 11:03pm

A Paddock View Of a Global Problem

My name is Rashida Khan and I am a cattle producer, animal nutritionist, and animal lover and have been raised with an insight to the true Muslim faith. I have been fortunate enough to travel and have been to Asia.  My family has a cattle property in the Northern Territory and I have many contacts right through the supply chain. We care deeply about our animals and have always designed our workload and facilities with the animals needs in mind. So far our only market for the cattle we raise and fatten has been live export, with 80% of these cattle going to Indonesia. Of course we have been calling for diversity in our marketing options for the past 20yrs but to no avail. Most of the NT abattoirs have been shut down by union pressure and government red tape, making it extremely difficult for people to reopen the slaughter houses. These facilities would take the cattle we cannot send to Indonesia if they are the wrong colour or have a minor blemish.  If the export industry is closed down completely in the next week, can we expect a flush of government support for local businesses and abattoirs? Do we have the skilled labour force to process these cattle starting next week? Will we have suitable facilities to deal with the 700,000 head standing in the yards waiting, by next week?

When I saw the footage aired on 4 Corners on Monday 30^th May 2011, I was rendered speechless. The cruelty was horrific and so very unnecessary. Initially I was angered and upset by the treatment of the cattle but I soon began to analyse what I had viewed.  The whole video was played out to leave the viewer with only one conclusion. Stop Live Export.  I began to make phone calls and despite asking friends, colleagues and family I couldn’t find a single person who had ever witnessed that level of abuse in an Indonesian abattoir. Still it pays to remember that there are around 770 in Indonesia and only 11 have participated in this carnage. 

Nowhere on the footage was a mention of the Indonesian processors who do the job properly. They were neither interviewed nor given any exposure. I believe it is a terrible shame if the whole industry must pay for the actions of so few. With exception to those 11 slaughter houses, I think it would be timely to mention the work done by the rest of the industry. There have been substantial investments both personally and financially in the development of better cattle boats, better feedlots, better breeding environments and handling, nutrition for maximum health, improved bio-security and better abattoirs. Yet strangely all of this was glossed over.

Since there was no mention of this better side, it is easy to understand how the Australian public became so angry and began generalising about the Indonesian people. I think it should be understood publically that these are not uneducated people at all but very savvy business people, who are often highly educated and extremely wealthy. To lump all Indonesian people in the category of animal abusers who know no better was a dangerous and stupid move. This prompted comments of a racist and derogative nature on the forums provided by the Jakarta Post and Straits Times. The outrage in Australia was fuelled by half truths and graphic images that I for one shall never forget. It has led to hasty decision making with scant regard for the flow on effects.

The cruelty displayed in the footage was mistakenly called Halal. There have been some very nasty comments linked to this and directed at Indonesia which has the world’s largest Muslim population. Let me assure you that there was nothing Halal about those kills. They were messy, blood tainted the meat, the animals were damaged and abused and no prayer was said for their soul. Halal kills are quiet, with many people restraining the animal, out of sight of other animals, till it has died. The throat must be cut swiftly with a sharp blade. It is a tradition that has carried on and means that stun guns which were not available in the days of the prophet could be employed today. This is however a cultural decision for the Indonesian people which has garnered support with many but may take time to implement. The Muslim community was on board until the negative slurs began which has put everyone offside. The fact that no clear information has been released regarding this is a great pity as many people would greatly benefit from the education. We must remember in terms of asking Indonesia to adopt our ideas that we are a relatively new culture spanning just 200yrs, theirs is a culture reaching back 3000years. We live by different socio economic standards and enjoy many luxuries courtesy of our resources and significantly smaller population. Small things like personal refrigeration are still a long way off in Indonesia’s middle to lower class population making the sale of chilled meat unviable. Housewives will feel the meat for warmth to ensure the beast has been killed that day and the meat is fresh. This is a way of life and would require both individuals and cultural groups to make changes.

This is not to say we can’t offer advice and assistance to improve slaughter conditions, make working conditions safer by stunning the generally unhandled Australian cattle who are not used to being roped, improve meat quality by eliminating the abuse and stress and redesigning the slaughter boxes to have a lesser gradient and better grip. However our high and mighty approach taken and the continued abuse to their intelligence makes negotiations with people who genuinely wish to improve animal welfare conditions extremely difficult.

The call has been to Ban Live Exports. Now this is to be discussed in Parliament and may be written into the law books. While the main focus is currently on cattle and has previously been on sheep, I would like to point out that there have been no distinctions made in the general push to Ban Live Exports. Australia exports a lot of animals of different types and should a motion go through parliament, extreme welfare groups will have an excellent opportunity to cripple other industries in Australia under this blanket ban. For example  feral goats are exported, racehorses are regularly shipped overseas and not to mention the booming performance horse industries with endurance horses going to the UAE, Warmbloods to Europe and Quarter Horses to the USA.  We also send cattle to 27 other countries excluding Indonesia. Should all these people suffer because of 11 slaughter houses in Indonesia? Once a law is made it is rarely toned down and we have seen time and again the impact of these sweeping bans and the repercussions.

Most of Australia’s geography is not suited to other forms of agriculture and the rangeland grazing of livestock has proven to be efficient and sustainable. While we may export large quantities of minerals they are an exhaustible resource and tourism is dependant of global finances and political stability. Carbon trading is not likely to be a sustainable income stream to support the many people actively involved in Agriculture and in my opinion cannot replace the live export trade.  If producers and graziers go broke they will take with them regional communities and support services that they currently support. By the end of the week 13,000 Australians could be unemployed and more to follow, if the Industry collapses. This is not just the loss of a job; it’s the loss of hopes, dreams, blood sweat and tears. People will lose their way of life and support they need to live in the places they love. 

What are producers expected to do with their stock in the interim of the export industry closing and alternate markets opening? Unfortunately we are not as wealthy as we are publicised to be and cannot afford to shut down and wait. Many producers have committed themselves to tailoring theirbusinesses at great cost to meet the specifications of Live Export. We breed grey cattle, we market them at 350kg even though we have the knowledge to grow them bigger and still only get paid by the kilogram. We have endeavoured to improve nutrition and handling techniques and yet we get 24hrs warning that the ports are closed. In my years of training animals I know one thing clearly, that behaviour that is rewarded is always repeated! So could someone explain to me why we are doing everything right and yet being treated so poorly? This question covers the Indonesian processors who are also doing the right thing and the true Muslims who follow the holy procedure of the Halal kill. How is this abuse of peoples efforts justified?

As an Australian producer I am particularly upset to think producers have paid $5/animal to be treated like this and to see those animals treated that way. I am also disappointed in the sudden silence from animal welfare groups who only made a brief appearance when the footage was aired, with just enough encouragement to cause a stir and then they melted away. I ask them, What about the cattle? Don’t they matter now that you have your petitions sighed and donations stowed away? So you have succeeded in suspending the Live Export Industry but have you made any physical changes to the animal’s treatment in Indonesia? Have you consulted the appropriate Indonesian authorities? Are you funding any training for the slaughtermen? Or have you moved on to your next victim?

If Australia is going to become worried by the actions of others with animals, then we should also look into the treatment of the animals that provide the products we import. This is just as important and should be seriously considered. I am absolutely disgusted in the treatment of those cattle in the footage but if we are going to seriously make a difference we must explore our imports. Anything short of this would be hypocrisy.

The key issue has always been animal welfare. However due to ignorance and negligence it has escalated into a volatile argument between neighbours, which has left thousands of cattle stranded, thousands of people in a precarious position and must be diplomatically handled. The Indonesians are in my opinion unlikely to back down in their stance. While the phrase No Stun- No Cattle is catchy, to accept it would mean the Indonesians lose face - something the Asian community doesn’t take lightly. Australia has many trained diplomats and it’s time for them to act. We need to reengage the Muslim community, apologise for the childish insults and press for positive solutions that benefit all stakeholders. Focussing on improving meat quality would be a perfect inroad. We must continue to pressure the Australian Government for support in diversifying the markets in Northern Australia.

If we don’t act, what will become of the cattle? Will we have another international embarrassment to rival the Camel Cull and the BTEC program, which are widely seen internationally as wasteful and inhumane? In any negotiations regarding this Australians would do well to remember people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

I am only one voice but together we can provide a solid stance and with common sense and empathy we can rectify this situation. We must spread the message and educate people to support our Australian producers and associated industries as well as those in Indonesia who are in the same situation.  These people have done nothing wrong and like our other export clients should not be punished for the actions of a few. If we can collectively act to make real changes to the slaughter conditions in those 11 abattoirs, we will have made a tangible difference to international animal welfare. Banning Live Export and insulting our neighbours doesn’t help the beast that dies in Jakarta tonight!

Sincerely

Rashida Khan

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