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Pigs' Long Road to FreedomFederal Government suspends live trade to Egypt
26 February 2006
Extreme Acts of Cruelty documented in Cairo abattoir lead to suspension
An investigation conducted in Egypt by peak animal protection body Animals Australia has led to the Federal government announcing that it will suspend the live animal trade to that country. Footage from the investigation aired on ’60 Minutes’ has outraged and distressed the Australian community.
Animals Australia’s Communication Director, Lyn White traveled to Cairo. Assisted by local Egyptians and a UK-based co-investigator, she gained entry to Cairo’s major abattoir – Bassatin. Investigators documented cattle including animals identified to them as Australian, enduring acts of extreme cruelty.
“We witnessed animals having their leg tendons slashed and eyes stabbed at with knives to disable and disorientate them prior to slaughter. They were such blatant and terrible acts of cruelty at this abattoir, yet obviously completely accepted by the slaughtermen,” said Ms White.
These practices have never previously been documented anywhere in the world.
Australia has exported over 1 million cattle to Egypt in the past decade, the majority of which will have been slaughtered at Bassatin abattoir. Animals Australia first brought these terrible practices to the attention of the live export industry and Federal government in 2001. At that time the industry admitted to being aware of these practices. Some 876,108 Australian cattle already been exported to Egypt when this admission was made.
Since that time Animals Australia has consistently taken independent reports to the Federal government and live export industry alerting them to the fact that initiatives within the abattoir that have been lauded as successful have failed – and advised that animals, including Australian cattle, were still enduring acts of barbarity. When the Federal government failed to act on further concerns and information raised in July last year, Animals Australia had no choice but to send an investigator to Egypt.
Animals Australia Executive Director – Glenys Oogjes said:
“The live export industry has projected Bassatin abattoir as a shining example of their ability to improve welfare in the Middle East. The Minister therefore must now have grave concerns, as we do, about how Australian animals are being treated in other Middle Eastern countries. Animals Australia has requested a meeting with the Prime Minister to bring broader concerns to his attention”.
“Animals Australia accepts that Minister McGauran has been misled by the live export industry and welcomes his decision to suspend the trade to Egypt. However, can the Minister provide his personal assurance to the Australian community that no Australian exported animals will be subject to similar acts of brutality elsewhere in the Middle East? If he cannot, he should also immediately suspend the trade to those countries.”
“The Minister has also been misled to believe that there are laws that prohibit these practices in Egypt. This is simply untrue. There is no animal protection legislation or current standards that can be enforced in these abattoirs,” Ms Oogjes concluded.
Animals Australia Communications Director, Lyn White - the Investigator who traveled to Bassatin, said:
“I was truly horrified by what I was witnessing at Bassatin abattoir, but almost equally appalled by the knowledge that we had exported over 1 million cattle to this country – most of whom would have been slaughtered in this dreadful place.”
“Bassatin abattoir is like entering a medieval world. I struggle to believe that Australian industry representatives who had visited this place could convince themselves that these endemic practices no longer occurred. There was a complete acceptance of these barbaric acts by all those present, slaughtermen and observers, which sadly including children.”
“We were assisted throughout the investigation by local Egyptians, equally appalled by these practices. They are dismayed that a country such as Australia which prides itself on its animal welfare standards, would supply animals to their country, effectively condoning current practices and undermining their calls for urgent change.”
Screen captures from the Bassatin abattoir available, plus high resolution photos of treatment of Australian sheep in Egypt – see website for further details.
Animals Australia – 03 9329 6333
A full report on the investigation and further details - www.animalsaustralia.org
See Background document following…..
Background document for Media
Why Animals Australia was forced to undertake this investigation
and provide evidence to the Australian community.
A history of concerns and failed/flawed responses.
Since 1995 over 1 million Australian cattle and hundreds of thousands of sheep have traveled on livestock vessels 10,000 kms by sea to Egypt to be slaughtered.
Animals Australia has repeatedly brought concerns regarding the treatment of animals in Cairo’s major abattoir – Bassatin to the attention of the Federal government and live export industry. On each occasion, action was taken only when issues at Bassatin have been publicly exposed in the media, or the threat of exposure existed.
Egypt has no animal welfare laws. The treatment of cattle at Bassatin has been brought to the attention of the Egyptian Government and the Government Veterinary Service on a number of occasions. The majority of Australian cattle are slaughtered at Bassatin abattoir.
The current investigation shows that the treatment of animals at the abattoir has not altered.
History:
October 2001
Animals Australia is alerted by eye-witness Veterinarian Dr Petra Sidhom to the horrendous slaughter practices in this abattoir included the slashing of rear leg tendons and stabbing of eyes to disable and disorientate cattle prior to slaughter whilst fully conscious. Executive Director Glenys Oogjes immediately brings this to the attention of the National Consultative Committee for Animal Welfare (NCCAW) which advises the Federal Minister for Agriculture.
Present at this meeting was then LiveCorp CEO Kevin Shiell who admitted that he was aware of these practices in Egypt. At this stage Australia had been exporting cattle to Egypt for 6 years yet it was only when Animals Australia became aware of these practices that there was any attempt to have them addressed.
2002
The live export industry responds by installing a ‘restraint box’ in Bassatin abattoir.
February 2003
Slaughterhouse specialist consultant Mr. Graeme Johnson is engaged by LiveCorp to assess Bassatin. He did not see the facility in full operation.
Johnsons’s subsequent report concluded: ‘As independent butchers undertake all slaughter work, it is extremely difficult to enforce acceptable standards, and until further considerations can be evaluated, there exists no easy resolution to this dilemma.’
May 2003
Dr. Sidhom is advised by Egypt’s Chief Veterinary Officer that the restraint box was not being used.
June 2003
An article by Dr. Sidhom outlining the problems and practices at Bassatin abattoir was published in the Australian Veterinary Journal. At the same time, current affairs program ‘60 Minutes’ interviews industry officials in regards to Bassatin for a program to go to air in July.
July 2003
Industry/government reaction. One week before ‘60 Minutes’ is to go to air exposing cruel practices in Egypt and Israel, the Federal government and live export industry announce that they will commit $150,000 to a project aimed at improving animal handling in the Middle East and North Africa.
LiveCorp CEO Kevin Shiell is interviewed on 60 Minutes. He admits that he was aware that these practices had occurred but stated that LiveCorp have instigated programs in the abattoir including installing a restraint box and that he would be very surprised if these practices were continuing. Dr Sidhom is also interviewed and states that practices are still occurring.
December 2003
Industry reaction to ‘60 Minutes’. LiveCorp announces in a press release that improvements were planned in Bassatin and that a new restraint box is to be installed.
2004
No Australian cattle are exported to Egypt due to the low value of the Egyptian pound.
March 2004
LiveCorp/MLA’s* representative in the Middle East, Dr Nigel Brown states in Victoria’s Weekly Times newspaper that ‘Bassatin abattoir in Cairo, which had recently been modernised with help from Australian consultants, would be used as a benchmark for improvements throughout the Middle East.’
LiveCorp/MLA media release – “MLA and LiveCorp recently conducted a similar workshop on best-practise cattle handling techniques in Cairo and this was very successful.’
*MLA - Meat and Livestock Australia
March 2004
Dr. Sidhom visits Bassatin and provides the first independent report regarding the operation of the new restraint box. It is not being used; only a single individual knows how to operate it, there are problems with the power supply and the hydraulics were not operating when power was restored. Ascertains that Australian industry funding paid for the re-flooring (tiling) of one slaughter hall at Bassatin, whilst money pledged by the Egyptian Government was used to paint the walls of another slaughter hall and to retarmac the internal roads in Bassatin.
May 2004
An article appears in The Age newspaper revealing Dr Sidhom’s information and observations. MLA/LiveCorp’s Dr Brown flies to Australia to speak at the Australian Veterinary Association Conference (which is due to vote on a proposal that they have a policy against live exports). Brown has visited Egypt after Sidhom’s visit and shows the conference a photograph of a newly installed electrical generator above the restraint box in Bassatin abattoir. The motion before the AVA is defeated.
April/May 2004
Minister Truss responding to the outcomes of the Keniry Inquiry (established after the 2003 Cormo Express rejection) announces that the Federal Government will provide 4 million dollars over four years to help improve animal welfare practices in importing countries and upgrade handling procedures.
Animals Australia proposes to Minister Truss a detailed strategy for the use of the $4 million – assessment of overseas facilities and identifying priorities, independent and expert assessment of progress, involvement of welfare experts etc. The proposal is rejected by the Minister.
July 2005
Animals Australia is informed that cattle exports to Egypt have resumed and writes to the new Federal Agriculture Minister, Mr. McGauran expressing concerns and asking him to seek independent verification that practices in Bassatin abattoir have improved. Animals Australia informs the Minister that a senior representative of Compassion in World Farming visited the abattoir in October 2004 and documented man-handling of animals and the restraint box not being used.
The following is an extract from Minister McGauran’s response of 9th August 2005:
‘'The Australian Government and the Australian livestock exporting industry have provided funding and technical assistance in recent years to upgrade facilities and procedures at Bassatin to achieve better welfare outcomes for all livestock processed there, not just livestock form Australia. The fact that the volume of the live export trade with Egypt has greatly reduced in the past two years does no detract from the fact that Bassatin is a good example where Australia’s involvement in the live trade has allowed us to influence change and improve animal welfare conditions in the Middle East.’'
The Investigation:
As a result, Animals Australia had no choice but to undertake to access this abattoir and document current practices to ascertain whether Minister McGauran’s claims were accurate or whether Australian cattle exported to Egypt were still at risk of being brutalized.
At the same time Animals Australia was alerted by Egyptian colleagues that 26,000 Australian sheep would go on the market in Cairo in January. There were grave concerns as to how these animals would be handled, transported and slaughtered.
January 2006
Animals Australia’s Communication Director Lyn White travels to Cairo and, with an experienced investigator from the UK, is assisted to access Bassatin abattoir by local Egyptians. Over a 90 minute period, investigators access all cattle and sheep slaughter halls and covertly film the handling and slaughter of animals, including animals identified to investigators as Australian cattle.
Video evidence was obtained of extreme and endemic abuse of animals including the slashing of leg tendons, stabbing of eyes, and aggressive poking of eyes – to disable and disorientate cattle prior to slaughter. Further animals were having their tails cut immediately after throats were cut (whilst fully conscious) causing further suffering.
Investigators access Slaughterhall 3 which houses the Australian-installed restraint box and observe that it is not being used. Cattle are led past the restraint box to the other end of the facility where leg tendons were slashed and the animals brutally slaughtered.
Whilst in Bassatin the investigators also documented the method of slaughter of sheep which incorporated dragging and manhandling the animals before throats were cut without pre-stunning. Whilst local animals were being processed at the time, Australian sheep are also killed in this slaughterhall.
Further – investigators documented the purchase of Australian sheep in market places and associated treatment. Animals were trussed before being put in boots of cars for ‘home’ slaughter. Australian sheep were also being brutally killed in illegal slaughterhouses in the centre of Cairo.
February 2006
It is decided that to provide further information to Minister McGauran is futile as he has clearly been misled by the live export industry. A decision is made to provide material directly to the Prime Minister calling for a ban on the export of animals to the Middle East. The material is also provided to the 60 Minutes program to ensure that the Australian community is accurately informed rather than being further misled by government and industry claims.
Compiled by Animals Australia - February 2006
Note: Recent industry claims that conditions on ships has also improved are not supported by the figures (provided by AMSA). Despite 2005 being the first year of the full operation of the new ‘Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock’, the on-board ship death rates for cattle and sheep were higher than in 2004.
· Cattle (reported) on-board mortality rose from 0.12% in 2004 to 0.14% in 2005 – 769 cattle died.
· Sheep (reported) on-board mortality rose from 0.77% in 2004 to 0.97% in 2005 – 35,000 sheep died (up from 24,000 in 2004).
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