Why is Live Export Bad and Who Is Responsible?

 Who Orchestrates The Export and Why

 It is the meat PRODUCERS who control the export of animals, rather than farmers not caring about their animals. Export happens because Larry Goodman limits the amount of 'by product' he will collect from factories, which then limits the amount of cattle that the factory can slaughter.

 
The factories then refuse to take the farmers' 'finished cattle' apart from in ones and twos. This both increases costs for farmers in keep for animals and gives the producers total control over the price the farmer will get for the animal. Goodman and the Queallys and just a few other producers manage both the factories and the meat plants and they get together every friday to decide how little they can legitimately give farmers for their animals.

FARMERS would unanimously prefer for their animals to be slaughtered close to the farm, with perhaps even a return to mobile units that go to farms, but they can't keep the finished cattle indefinitely. Not least  because they have to be slaughtered before a certain age. This means farmers have to sell them for export. It is the meat producers again who control the transport, export and sales abroad though. Goodman, again, has had long standing deals with Libya, Iran, Iraq and Egypt and in recent years negotiated export to the States and China. Be assured that none of these players are concerned with animal welfare.

You probably wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy but it is nearly the end of every farm animal's story

It is not you or I who is in charge of animal welfare

Welfare 

Who do we really expect animal welfare from? Farmers, slaughterhouse workers, producers, transporters, government vets?

Farmers

Farmers need animals to grow fat and healthy and have their full complement of tags and be compliant...

Meat Producers

Paramount for producers, on the other hand, is the dead weight. The number crammed into one load, whether they arrive alive or dead. Just for clarity's sake, just focus for a moment on the fact that meat producers are necessarily the furthest removed from an understanding of animals as sentient. Their trade relies 100% on maintaining ignorance.

Humane Slaughter

So what about humane slaughter methods and legislation? To kill all day every day would take the feeling and respect out of any person. CCTV in slaughterhouses (now compulsory in the UK, let's have that here too) records how many workers are so far past caring that violence and torturing are prevalent and commonplace, even before the animals are killed.

Vets as Monitors

Maybe good practice is maintained by veterinary practitioners? They do shifts in the abbatoirs, in the meat plants, do farm inspections and inspect animals in transit at ports etc...BUT!  I always thought that vets were like doctors, trained to identify illnesses and preserve life and quality of life, except in animals rather than people. In fact, large animal veterinary qualifications are now focussed on food industry compliance for farm animals and that is it! Well being; enforcement of the five freedoms animals should be afforded by law; reduced stress in transport etc are not priorities at all. Although, some vets oversee the stunning of pigs before having their throats cut etc, their main work is to do occasional autopsies and check for BSE and other human-effecting  conditions.

Laws

Legislation and government? They are not even interested in human health, flagrantly allowing antibiotics, GMO and pesticide-fed animals, chemically preserved meat, hiding research that might show that our animal agriculture is destructive for us, our environment, our air, our water, let alone consider the animals. What are they interested in? Trade deals: selling meat and dairy. Supplying the pharmaceutical, chemical and military.

What Animals Are Exported?

Calves under 31 days old.
'By products' of the massively intensifying dairy industry. They go to Holland and France mainly, to be kept in isolation and darkness to produce veal.
Finished Cattle
Up to two years old that are sent anywhere to be slaughtered anyhow. Different countries do not have laws that say that animals should be stunned before being slaughtered and some have religious guidelines that necessitate the animal bleeding out while conscious. The level of consciousness after being hung up as carcasses, even here, is very high.
Dairy Cows
There may be cows being sold to Saudi for intensive factory dairy farming.
Pigs, sheep and horses
I do not know the figures but there is evidence that stray horses are collected by council contractors (ACS) and transported to the Animal Body Parts factory in Latvia, where the company is actually registered.

Summary of Why

 So the situation is not that Minister Creed should stop it and that farmers should care more, it is a major industry which powerful businesses and the government are financially benefiting from. They need to stop it and think again at that level of promoting non exploitative industries.

Demonstration Against Live Export On Tuesday 26th Dublin Department of Agriculture Organized by Compassion In World Farming and Compassion In Ireland and National Animal Rights Association (NARA)

 

Slight Possibilities of Change

Tonight I am slightly hopeful that farmers will crack first. I saw on the front of The Farmer's Journal that loads of them lost their subsidies due to non compliance, in terms of tags and environmental problems like run off, which is inevitable. They are being penalized left right and centre and held by the short and curlies, by the vets for jabs and shots and herd tests. Maybe, just maybe, they will realize that the department vets, the producers and the department itself are all in bed together and they should get out and make two major changes - going organic frees them from the pharmaceutical merry go round and going from animals to horticulture, crops and orchards, will give them a major return and several seasons in Ireland's still clement climate.

Join The Debate In The Dail On Tuesday 3rd October 7-9pm

Please farmers wake up. You are the animals' only chance. Stop breeding them and falling for the carrot of loans and upscales. And consumers, stop eating meat, fish, eggs, poultry and drinking dairy. It's easy when you get started. Tomorrow (Sunday 1st) is World Vegetarian Day. Monday 2nd October there is a world wide fast against slaughter. And Tuesday (3rd October) Maureen O'Sullivan TD is talking in the Dail on all sorts of animal matters and wants the public there in the gallery to reinforce that we care what happens!!