Animals Australia awarded international animal welfare award

13 October 2007

Animals Australia, the Australian charity spearheading the campaign to end Australia’s cruel live export trade, has been awarded the 2007, “Jeanne Marchig Special Programmes Award” for outstanding practical campaigning work either nationally or internationally by an organisation in the field of animal welfare. This prestigious international award recognises Animals Australia’s success in exposing and revealing to media and the public, the fate of Australian animals exported to the Middle East.

In announcing the Award, the Trust’s Founder and Chairman, Jeanne Marchig, said:
“Animals Australia is a worthy recipient of this prestigious Award that carries my name.  They are in the front line of the fight to end animal suffering and abuse.  Their investigators at great risk to themselves, have to witness and endure horrific and traumatic situations in order to expose the brutal and barbaric treatment that is meted out to Australian and other countries animals caught up in this despicable trade.

Through this Award the Trustees of the Marchig Trust recognise and applaud their efforts and I pray that the Australian people will do likewise and get firmly behind Animals Australia, by giving them their support and lobby Australia's politicians to bring an end to the cruel live animal exports trade.”

Animals Australia’s Executive Director Glenys Oogjes described receiving the award as wonderful acknowledgement of the charity’s work, which is wholly dependant on public donations.

“We know that most Australians are appalled by this trade and are right behind us in our fight to end it,” Ms Oogjes said.

“To have an international group that’s as well respected as the Marchig Trust pay this tribute to us speaks volumes about how important this issue is, not just within Australia but internationally among all civilised nations.

“This Award further highlights how shameful it is for the Howard government to continue to allow our animals to be treated in this way.”

Animals Australia has conducted four undercover investigations in the Middle East – with footage obtained being shown on 60 Minutes, 4 Corners, Today Tonight and Landline.   Footage from their most recent Middle East investigation last month - showing Australian animals being appallingly treated – was aired on 7.30 Report on Thursday night, shocking viewers.

 “We have always known that the journey – by its very nature - is incredibly cruel,” Animals Australia’s Executive Director Glenys Oogjes said.

“The high mortality rates en-route proves just how much suffering the animals have to endure on board these ships.  However, until Animals Australia conducted these investigations, farmers and the Australian community had no idea how exported animals were being treated on arrival.

“Now we know and it’s clear that because it is so bad on arrival, in fact the animals that die on board the ships are the lucky ones.”

Background Information

• The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust was established in 1989 by Madame Jeanne Marchig of Geneva, because of her deep concern for nature and animals and in memory of her late husband, the painter Giannino Marchig.

• The objects of the Trust are to protect animals and to promote and encourage practical work in preventing animal cruelty and the relief of animal suffering.
  These objects are pursued by the Trust in two ways - Grants and Awards.

• Over the past 30 years Australia has exported over 150 million animals to the Middle East. Over 2.5 million have died enroute**  

• Animals Australia has conducted four undercover investigations in the Middle East – Kuwait in November 2003, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Egypt in December 2005/January 2006, Egypt in December 2006, and Oman, Kuwait, UAE and Jordan in September 2007.

• As a result of these investigations, Australia’s live trade to Egypt was suspended in March 2006. An MOU with Egypt was signed in October 2006; AA exposed the breach of the MOU when a single shipment of sheep went to Egypt in late 2006, and the trade is effectively halted again to that country. 

• The most recent (September 2007) AA investigation to the Middle East was financed by a grant from the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust.

(**These figures are a combination of historic federal Department of Transport figures, and recent national summary statistics compiled by the WA Department of Agriculture.)

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