Appeal to Farmers – Don’t Send Your Sheep to Cruelty

29 October 2008

Animals Australia is publishing full-page 'open letter' advertisements in the major rural newspapers this week appealing to sheep farmers not to send their animals to the Middle East for the upcoming Eid 'Festival of Sacrifice' to be held between the 8th and 10th of December.

Animals Australia investigators have been in the Middle East during the past three 'Festivals of Sacrifice'.

The 'open letter' alerts farmers to the additional cruelties faced by animals during this Festival when Muslims throughout the Middle East purchase sheep for sacrifice. Footage obtained in Egypt of Australian sheep sales in the lead up to the Eid has prevented further sheep exports into Egypt last year. Similar abuse of animals was documented in Bahrain and Dubai and yet animals are still being sources for these destinations.

Animals Australia Executive Director, Glenys Oogjes said today:
"The Festival of Sacrifice is the worst time of the year in the Middle East for animals. Our live exporters know it – yet they don't warn farmers, they deliberately keep the truth from them because they know that most farmers would refuse to send their animals to such a fate."

"I know that times are tough for farmers especially with the ongoing drought. But Animals Australia believes that if animals were being abused like this at a local stockyard that regardless of any extra money on offer, farmers would be outraged and refuse to supply their animals to such treatment."

"LiveCorp's PR mantra "we are changing things" is a highly convenient response when the eyes of the farming community are 10,000 kilometres away. Animals Australia investigators documented workers dragging, trussing and tossing animals onto trucks and shoving animals into car boots at the Bahrain Livestock Feedlot at last years Eid, despite MLA/LiveCorp conducting training courses at this facility."

"There is now overwhelming evidence to prove that Australia supplying live animals to the Middle East has led local people to believe that their current treatment of animals is acceptable and that change is not needed".

"We are appealing to farmers to reconsider exporting their animals not only to protect their animals from abuse, but so that the right message is conveyed to the region – that animals and their welfare do matter to Australian farmers and they don't approve of their livestock being treated this way" concluded Ms Oogjes.

The open letter and footage from last year's Eid can be viewed at www.animalsaustralia.org

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