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  4. Aussie animals still suffering abroad

More than a year after the Federal Government implemented its Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS), more footage has exposed the system's inability to protect Australian animals from cruelty.

This recent evidence from Kuwait shows a complete breakdown of the supply chain assurance system and highlights once again why the live export industry cannot be trusted.

The footage aired on Lateline shows Australian sheep being slaughtered in a banned location outside of the supply chain, with no regard for their welfare or the pain and suffering they are enduring. The sheep are held over a drain to have their throats cut with a short, blunt knife and are thrown on top of one another while still conscious.

This new evidence comes less than six months after the ESCAS regulations were introduced in Kuwait. 

“This footage shows an all-too-familiar scene of the suffering of Australian sheep in a backroom slaughterhouse in Kuwait - a situation that the Australian public were assured would no longer occur after the introduction of the ESCAS,” said Dr Bidda Jones, Chief Scientist, RSPCA Australia.

“Once again we are watching Australian sheep suffer a prolonged and distressing death in the hands of incompetent slaughtermen. First Indonesia, now Kuwait. How many times will footage such as this be needed to expose the failings of this regulatory system?

“It is the exporter's responsibility to ensure no animal is slaughtered outside of an approved supply chain. The leakage of these animals indicates a complete disregard for the system and for the welfare of these animals.

“If this footage had not been taken, the loss of these sheep from the system would likely have gone undetected as sheep are not required to be individually tagged under ESCAS. The regulatory and auditing system in place is clearly failing to protect these animals.

“What this new footage shows yet again, is that no matter how much industry or Government involvement there is, the live export of animals for slaughter is inherently cruel.”

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