Statement by Animals Australia on the Federal Court’s live export exemption decision
Quotes attributable to Lyn White.
“Animals Australia accepts the Federal Court’s decision, but we are, of course, disappointed.
Our position remains that had the Department had all available expert evidence before it, this exemption would not have been granted.
The reason this legislation was introduced was to ensure commercial interests were no longer put before animal welfare. This is the public expectation, which is why there was such dismay on the granting of this exemption.
There are no exceptional circumstances that justify knowingly putting 50,000 sheep at risk of heat stroke. We now know exactly what that looks like — which is why we sought to have the northern summer ban upheld.
The June 1st halt in live sheep shipments to the Middle East was implemented based on extensive scientific reviews that concluded that measures cannot be taken to sufficiently mitigate the risk of heat stress during June.
The summer halt is in line with the industry’s own northern summer moratorium. They cannot have it both ways — animal welfare either matters or it doesn’t. Applying for an exemption that will result in inescapable and inevitable animal suffering — indicates that it does not.
One would expect exporters should be strongly backing these laws — not actively seeking to circumvent them."
