Australian Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has welcomed the Department of Agriculture’s decision to extend consultation and delay the final report of the Review of live sheep exports by sea to, or through, the Middle East during the Northern Hemisphere summer.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The government has proposed a substantial weakening of the Northern Summer prohibition. It will put thousands more sheep at risk of mortality and heat stress every year.
“Even the Department’s own draft report acknowledged the inadequate quantity and quality of available data to properly review the Northern Summer prohibition. They need to go back to the drawing board.
“A short, abrupt consultation over the holiday period was never going to provide a meaningful opportunity for the Department to hear from everyone concerned about the proposed changes.
“The Department must listen to expert animal welfare organisations and scientists, and expand, rather than weaken, the prohibition.
“The Northern Summer prohibition should be extended to cover May through to October. And ultimately, live export must be banned.
“Live export is inherently cruel and the Australian government should be developing plans to shut it down, not expand it further.”
