Agriculture Department seeking science focussed committee to review live exports standards

The federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources said in a statement today it was seeking applications for the five member committee to review of Australia’s Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL).

The Department anticipates appointing an independent chair and four committee members for a period of two years, to begin in late September.

A recent report by the Australian Farm Institute valued the live export industry at about $1.8b annually in farm-gate returns with beef cattle at $1.35b, dairy cattle about $17 million, sheep exports $250m and goats about $10m.

However, the industry has been under constant public and political pressure to improve animal welfare standards, despite being the only country - of about 100 others exporting livestock - that invests in work, conducted in partnerships with governments and industry, to enhance animal husbandry outcomes and seeks to regulate trade, beyond the point of legal ownership in export markets.

The federal government’s Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) was introduced after the Indonesian live cattle export ban crisis of mid-2011 to provide tracking and traceability in all markets up to the point of slaughter.

ASEL regulates welfare standards up to the point of animals being discharged in destination countries and has been in place long before the ESCAS regime was introduced to try and appease community concerns about animal welfare outcomes.

Deputy Secretary Malcolm Thompson said ASEL was an important component of Australia’s world leading livestock export system, setting health and welfare standards that exporters must meet during the transport of Australian livestock overseas.

Mr Thompson said the new committee being establishing by the Department would look at livestock export standards to ensure they were “fit for purpose” and accounted for the latest animal health and welfare scientific information and advice.

He said the technical committee would comprise an independent chair and experts in animal health and welfare, regulatory design and the livestock industry.

“Members will be required to meet specific eligibility requirements and will be selected on the basis of their skills, experience and qualifications rather than their affiliation with an organisation,” he said.

“This is about getting the science right behind any proposed updates to the standards -there will be a number of opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to the standards throughout the review process.

 “The review will be conducted as a series of modules with each module expected to take six to eight months to complete.

“This means we can prioritise some areas of work, encourage industry innovation and move more quickly to adapt technological improvements.

“It is anticipated that committee members will need to be available for 30 to 80 days over a year to undertake committee duties.”

Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) CEO Simon Westaway welcomed the review process including an independent technical advisory committee, to ultimately provide recommendations to the Department.

Mr Westaway said ALEC believed the review process, with the new committee’s addition, would provide “outcome-based standards, backed by sound scientific evidence”.

He said ALEC had previously called for a formal review of ASEL and “we endorse the approach being undertaken”.

The new advisory committee will be supported by an ASEL reference group, comprising representative bodies with a direct interest in the livestock export industry, including animal welfare organisations, the production sector and veterinary profession, he said.

“ALEC has encouraged this review of our $2 billion industry because livestock exporters want ASEL to remain relevant, which in turn promotes a sustainable and growing livestock export trade,” he said.

“Our industry knows the importance of incorporating the latest evidence-based science and new technology into the high standards governing our trade, to ensure the regulatory framework governing the live trade is up-to-date and aligned with world’s best livestock welfare practices.”

ALEC Director and industry veterinarian Dr Tony Brightling said Australia continued to play a world-leading role in the global livestock export trade.

Dr Brightling said Australia was the “global leader” in livestock welfare practices and the current ASEL standards were recognised as “an international gold standard”.

“However, livestock export is a dynamic industry - as such, it’s important to ensure ASEL is reviewed and updated to incorporate new technology and research findings, so as to genuinely reflect and meet community expectations of Australian industry operating at international best-practice standards,” he said.

ALEC said the Farm Institute’s May 2017 report confirmed mortality rates during ocean transport had significantly declined over time through better management and ship design, to the extent that losses are now comparable with or below normal farm rates.

Dr Brightling said “Best practice is an ongoing process”.

“We need to ensure new technology and research findings that enhance animal welfare are promptly adopted as standard operating procedures and that the standards are consistent with regulatory best practice,” he said.

A report released in early 2015 by Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce - resulting from a review of ESCAS - indicated more than 99 per cent of animals exported had experienced positive welfare outcomes since the system was introduced in 2011.

At the time Mr Joyce said the report showed that since the ESCAS system was introduced, 8,035,633 livestock had been exported with just 12,958 animals – or 0.16pc – experiencing a potentially adverse animal welfare outcome.

RSPCA Australia Senior Policy Officer Dr Jed Goodfellow said his group was “opposed to exporting animals live for slaughter due to the inherent welfare risks” but “we will always embrace any opportunity to improve animal welfare standards while the trade continues”.

He said it was “critical” the ASEL review was based on sound and impartial assessment of the latest animal welfare science and a commitment to improving animal welfare outcomes within the trade.

“Selecting the right personnel for this task will be crucial to the effectiveness and integrity of the review process,” he said.

“The review is long overdue as the current 2011 version of the ASEL are based on outdated animal welfare science around stocking densities and bedding provisions, and fail to ensure people handling animals are aware of their legal responsibilities and have the competency to carry them out.

“A review of the ASEL was conducted in 2012 but successive governments have failed to implement the recommended changes,

“The RSPCA hopes this process will lead to real improvements in animal welfare outcomes and looks forward to participating in the review process.”