Re: Dr Coghlan’s article on considering the exposure of cruelty (The Veterinarian, June 2011)

Dear Editor,

Export of live animals for slaughter is a result of one motive – there is money to be made.

In the article, the first response that “Australia has an obligation to animals to continue the trade to countries with mediocre welfare records” beggars belief.

It is painfully obvious that the Meat and Livestock Authority and Livecorp have been completely derelict in their responsibilities to the animals involved. Over a decade of reaping significant levies from the producers, they have lied as to their supposed supervision and care to hundreds of thousands of animals.

The second response in the article is to supervise adequate slaughtering methods poses the question as to how this is possible. What right has Australia to enter another country and tell them how to behave?

New Zealand has, for a number of years, banned the export of live animals for slaughter, primarily because it would damage their image as a producer of high grade meat products for export.

There is only one answer to this dreadful business and that is a complete ban on live export; to reopen the abattoirs in Katherine and Innisfail and open a mooted abattoir in Darwin.

Mahatma Ghandi said the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. How do we rate?

John Holt
Fellow of Australian Veterinary Association
Mt Wilson, NSW

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