J

uly 6, Online

Australia resumed its US$350 million-a-year live cattle trade with Indonesia on Wednesday following a temporary ban over cruelty concerns. Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said he was confident that Indonesian slaughterhouses meet Australian animal welfare standards.

The government banned exports to Indonesia last month after an outcry over a video that aired in Australia showing animals screaming and writhing as they were slaughtered.

“The Australian community made it clear it would not support a trade in which these things occurred,” Ludwig said Wednesday. “I want to make it clear that the decision to suspend the trade was not an easy decision to make, but it was the right decision.”

Under the new system, slaughterhouses will have to prove they meet animal welfare guidelines. Ludwig said tracking and transparency in the cattle supply chain will also be improved.

“The exporter is required to trace the animals from the domestic supply chain into the feedlot, and from the feedlot into the slaughterhouse,” he said. “The slaughterhouse will be independently audited.”

Your comments:

The livelihood of a large amount of Australian farmers depends on the export. $350 million is a lot of trade to be losing. There will be people arguing that they can find other markets. That’s swell and all, but I don’t think the Australian government or market has the capability to do it without significantly driving the cost of the cattle industry up.

Like I said, being moral is nice and dandy, but really, if you can’t support it, don’t do it. Even if I wave away all this moral hot air with human rights vs animal rights, Australia’s economy depends a lot on
Indonesia. While “moral individuals” can ban us all you want, the country cannot afford to.

And if you think that it’s OK, you can take the economic downturn for doing the right thing. I suggest you go talk to the cattle farmers. Don’t think they’ll be happy with you.

E.H.
Jakarta

I do not see anything wrong with their request for modern standards of business in Indonesia. Are you mad at the world for boycotting Reebok during their child labor fiasco?

Are you mad at tech firms not going to China due to property infringement rights violations?

Indonesia needs the kick to join modern industry at almost all levels. We spend too much time talking about things and how things should be, and not enough time actually doing things to improve things here so we are a more competitive market with the rest of the world.

Look. We have so much natural resources, a large population with the potential to create Einsteins in droves, and yet on the other hand from local to international companies their major complaint is our workers’ laziness and ineptitude to adjust.

I blame the government for setting an example of how to work that is (1) sleeping through meetings (2) dressing unprofessionally (3) thinking of their own interests rather then as a whole (4) so many other negative marks.

I hope the conditions are met by the local meat producers, and in the meantime the local meat producers should look into breeding their own cattle, too.

Deddy
Jakarta

Don’t you get it? Indonesia has scaled down significantly its cattle import from Australia, when no one has died eating meat from other countries.

I will lobby my government to keep on blocking your cattle coming into Indonesia. We should buy
Australian last.

So much to say for a ban for six months. It’s been less than four weeks and its all back again.

Neni
Jakarta

I cannot believe this is happening, after all the video footage of the slow, horrific torture of animals that our corrupt government would give in to the corporate greed behind this industry.

Dan
Melbourne