Another blow to Australian live export - IMPORTANT

[Guest guest]

ISRAELI COURT DECISION - ANOTHER BLOW TO AUST LIVE

EXPORT TRADE

 

Israel's supreme court demands explanation: Why should

animal imports from Australia continue?

 

Jerusalem, October 27th, 2003. The Israeli Supreme Court

issued today an order nisi requiring the Ministry of Agriculture

and other State authorities to give a reason within 60 days why

the imports of live animals from Australia should not stop,

unless a long series of substantive defaults are fixed and

relevant regulations are issued.

 

This is still another blow to the Australian live exports industry,

which is quickly losing credibility. After exports to Saudi Arabia

were banned by the Australian Government, the industry is now

in risk of losing another market due to animal welfare

considerations.

 

The order was issued in the context of a petition filed on

February 2003 by " Let the Animals Live " , an Israeli animal

welfare organization, represented by Attorney Nadav Haetzni and

Attorney Orit Hayim. The investigation backing the petition was

done with the cooperation of many organizations worldwide, and

especially Anonymous for Animal Rights in Israel, who provided

abundant photographic evidence on the cruelty of the trade.

 

After a series of preliminary written arguments, an oral hearing

was held today.

 

During the hearing in the Supreme Court the petitioners showed

video abstracts from two stories of the Australian TV program " 60

Minutes " , exposing the cruelty involved in this trade - from the

farm of origin, through the sea journey and up to the treatment of

the animals upon arrival in the Israeli border. The appalling

pictures had a strong effect on everyone attending the courtroom.

 

The petitioners also based their case on extensive evidence

regarding unacceptable facilities, intolerable climatic conditions,

long delays and cruel treatment that the animals are exposed to

after being unloaded from the ship and upon arrival in Israel. The

animals may be exposed to the traumatic procedure of loading

and unloading up to 7 times from the moment they leave the

ship to the time they reach their final destination. Many times,

unloading would be without proper facilities, and the animals are

forced to jump - or are dragged or thrown - between trucks not

of the same height. In other cases they have to run over a gap

between trucks: some animals fall through the gaps, others get

their legs stuck. Animals may stay on the trucks for long hours,

with no water, exposed to the sun, while the temperatures get

over 400C in the shade. Other spend these long hours in closed

and poorly ventilated metal compartments. Some animals might

had faced food and water withdrawal some time before

unloading from the ship, to reduce their weight before going

through customs.

 

Even State officials admitted in internal documents, revealed

during the current legal case, that a reform should be made, and

that (according to one governmental vet) the live imports should

be stopped, at least during the Israeli summer.

 

The Supreme Court's Judges (Justices Cheshin, Prokachia and

Naor) were especially annoyed by the fact that no animal welfare

standards have yet been written regarding the transport of these

animals - although the Animal Protection Act, that mandates

issuing regulations regarding animal welfare during transport,

dates from 1994.

 

Issuing the order nisi means that the Court found prima-facie

case in the petition, and it is now upon the State to prove that the

live imports from Australia can still be justified. The State can

also try to find solutions to the problems raised in the petition.

Where such solutions are at all possible they might demand

considerable investment by the industry. The Court is, of course,

far from having said their final judgment on the issue, but today's

decision is a warning sign questioning the vitality of an industry

that is inherently based on extreme animal suffering for greed.