Live Animal Exports

The majority voted against a motion to end live animal export, which was introduced by NSW Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon.

This means that it was unsuccessful.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources report, Live-stock mortalities during exports by sea—Report for the period 1 January to 30 June 2016, tabled on 7 November 2016, recorded that another 839 cattle and 4,301 sheep died on live export ships in the first six months of this year,

(ii) from 2009 to 2015, a total of 147,969 animals, that is 7,791 cattle and 140,178 sheep, died on live export voyages from Australia, representing an average of 406 animals per week suffering lingering deaths in that period,

(iii) mortality is no indicator of morbidity or the number of animals who suffer on lengthy live export voyages,

(iv) deaths at sea are so accepted by the industry and government that on every consignment, 1 per cent of cattle and 2 per cent of sheep can die without triggering a government investigation, and

(v) not one exporter has ever had its licence revoked despite continuing and horrific breaches of the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS); and

(b) calls on the Government to end the live export trade and work to expand the trade in boxed chilled meat.