We live in the age of the ban and boycott, where people pass judgement on the depth of the pond by looking at the ripples on the surface. Where when we see an image or video, and regardless of origin, circumstance and thorough investigation, we accept it as gospel and brand anyone associated with the industry it depicts a criminal, not fit to operate, and to be immediately shut down.
These groups believe the greatest change they can make in the world is to stop other people doing what doesn't fit their particular world view. History has many names for people who think like this. The ban culture does not consider all things going on under the surface. In the context of the live cattle export industry, we need to consider the benefits the industry provides to people and animal welfare practices. What are we losing if governments bow to appease the global ban culture?
The live export industry has dealt with past failures in animal welfare and implemented regulations and procedures at every juncture. It is one of the most heavily scrutinised industries in the country. Of course, there will always be room for improvement. The death rates are now minimal, the surveillance is high, but we can still do better. I do not doubt the industry's ability to come up to measure when tested on the basis it is the right thing to do. As a further driver, improvement in welfare, reduction in death rate, and minimising stress, many of the actions required align with business profitability drivers.
Live export trade provides nutritious food to hundreds of millions in developing nations. People working to increase their standard of living. People in Vietnam are happy to spend a high proportion of their income buying Australian beef in a wet market because of what it represents to them. Nutrition, immunity, prosperity, and the highest source of protein.
The live export industry does more than export live animals. It exports animal welfare regulations and compliance. The broader impact cannot be understated. Whilst we live export we have access to abattoirs and feedlots in our supply chain, and we can have positive impact on welfare practices. If you care about animal welfare, you care about the welfare of all animals. Should live export be banned, we will waive our right to impact the welfare of the supply chain.
South East Asia represents the bulk of live cattle exports. It is a short journey, seven days from Darwin, 12 days from Townsville. If our live export is banned, cattle will stop making this journey. Instead they will be loaded from South America, on a 27-day voyage, under completely different welfare standards.
When people care about things, like animal welfare, they work to understand what the issue is and provide human energy and effort to improve or address the problem, as our cattle live export industry has.
If our cattle live export industry is sacrificed at the altar of ban culture, it will not have failed, we will have failed it. We will have failed to sell the truth of what it does.
Whether an action is good or virtuous lies in the details, in the margins, in the things we lose that most of us didn't know were there, or that were taken for granted.
Our nation will have let down our trading partners and created food security issues. Boats will still be loaded, they will just be further away, less regulated, and sadly, animal welfare globally will be lesser for it.
- Central Queensland cattleman and food manufacturer, Mark Davie
