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Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Page: 2851

Live Animal Exports

Senator BACK (Western Australia) (14:00): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Ludwig. Is the minister aware that as a direct result of his decision to suspend the export of cattle to Indonesia, within one month alone up to 150,000 head of stock will exceed body weight limits, making them ineligible for the Indonesian trade export while being too light for processing elsewhere in Australia?

Does he understand that this will leave graziers, including Indigenous land council managers, with no saleable cattle or income at the height of the winter growing season?

Senator LUDWIG (Queensland—Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Minister Assisting the Attorney-General on Queensland Floods Recovery) (14:01): I thank Senator Back for his interest in this industry.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Senator Conroy: We will just juice them up—

Senator LUDWIG: There is only one pat on the other side, and you take the hat on that.

The PRESIDENT: Let's just get down to the question. Ignore the interjections, both sides.

Senator LUDWIG: What I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by those on the other side is that this government is working diligently to ensure that the trade can be put back into place whilst maintaining appropriate animal welfare outcomes. Those on the other side are all at sea in relation to this point. They do not know whether they want animal welfare outcomes to be upheld or not. What they are arguing for is simply that the trade should resume immediately without taking into account animal welfare outcomes. Those on this side of the chamber want to ensure that we can do both.

I do understand the impacts that are being felt across the Northern Territory and Western Australia. And to that end we have written to Meat and Livestock Australia to ensure that they can provide $5 million worth of compensation for that industry and to provide onshore assistance for feed and watering. Those on the other side are adopting—

Senator Ian Macdonald: It is your decision, not theirs!

Senator Conroy: You don't know what you are talking about!

The PRESIDENT: The time for debating this is at the end of question time. If senators wish to do that then, they are most entitled to. Senator Ludwig, will you continue, please?

Senator LUDWIG: Of course, those on the other side simply want the trade to commence without the welfare of animals taken into account. What the other side says is that the government made the decision. That is correct: the government made the decision in the face of animal welfare abuse that no-one on the other side would say is acceptable practice. No-one on this side says it is acceptable practice.

Senator Brandis: Senator Back cares a lot more for the welfare of animals than you do!

Senator Ian Macdonald: You've known about it for six months and sat on your hands!

Senator LUDWIG: Those on the other side, of course, are in fact cat-calling out. Now we hear— (Time expired)

Senator BACK (Western Australia) (14:03): Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I am pleased that the minister is focussed on animal welfare. Has the minister taken into account while making his decision to suspend the live export trade that graziers may have no option but to turn hundreds of thousands of cattle out onto rangelands, with the resulting animal welfare disaster as feed runs out and the inevitable environmental catastrophe as the rangelands are destroyed?

Senator LUDWIG (Queensland—Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Minister Assisting the Attorney-General on Queensland Floods Recovery) (14:03): The government is working as quickly as possible to put in place the assurances required to put the trade back in and moving again. In the meantime, exporters have indicated that they are seeking alternative markets for the cattle. AQIS have inspected the cattle currently in AQIS facilities onshore, and they are reported to be in good condition. The department is working with industry to identify the volume of feed available for animals in the supply chain at AQIS registered facilities and those being held on-farm.

On Friday, I met with industry and the Western Australian, Northern Territory and Queensland ministers. It was agreed to establish a working group to develop a supply chain assurance framework that would enable the Indonesian trade to progressively reopen, to ensure the continued welfare of animals in the supply chain in Australia and to consider— (Time expired)

Senator BACK (Western Australia) (14:04): Mr President, I ask a further supple­mentary question. Does the minister accept responsibility for the tens of thousands of cattle which will probably die a long, painful death, and will he now reverse his ill-considered decision and lift the suspension on cattle exports to those abattoirs that meet approved international standards?

Senator LUDWIG (Queensland—Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Minister Assisting the Attorney-General on Queensland Floods Recovery) (14:05): There are two parts, at least, to that question. One, of course, is that the opposition fail to appreciate—or are ignorant of it—that abattoirs which meet OIE standards in themselves are not sufficient. It is about ensuring that we do have in place a supply chain so that we can track, and also monitor and verify, from the point of leaving the port to the point of a feedlot in Indonesia, and to the point of the slaughterhouse in Indonesia so that there is not any leakage.

What those on the other side want to accept is that animal welfare would not be taken into account in their proposal of simply looking at an abattoir alone, because there would be leakage in the system. What those opposite are now saying, of course, is, 'Restart the trade without taking animal welfare considerations into account'. That is what the opposition are putting to the parliament today. (Time expired)