Animal welfare - livestock export

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE	KPIs	OUTCOMES	BENEFITS	FUTURE
Improve livestock welfare during whole export process	Restraining boxes used in the slaughter of 85% of cattle in Indonesia Improved animal handling in Middle Eastern feedlots	40 restraining boxes installed in processing facilities handling over 85% of Australian cattle throughput Over 70 training sessions delivered to over 500 workers from feedlots, trucks, ships and abattoirs in six countries	Substantial animal welfare improvements coupled with processing efficiency gains and safer working conditions for Indonesian abattoir workers Stimulating ongoing change in habits and culture leading to improved animal welfare and improved efficiencies	An additional 30 restraining boxes to be installed in South-East Asia Further training on animal handling, nutrition and heat stress delivered in the Middle East Continued communication to ensure an informed Australian community

Collaborative approach

We worked closely with the Australian Government to assist the Australian industry to improve the welfare of livestock throughout the export process, up to and including the processing of animals in-market. Our activities in this area continue to focus on working with overseas customers, understanding local issues and cultural attitudes, influencing behaviour to improve welfare and consequently the end product, and meeting our own community’s animal welfare expectations.

Training delivers

Our animal welfare training programs have been rolled out and well received by over 400 vets, government officials and industry personnel in South-East Asia and the Middle East.

A five-day Animal Welfare Foundation workshop was delivered in conjunction with the government in Egypt, focussing on improving understanding of animal welfare issues and developing strategies to address these concerns. As a result of this workshop, government established its own Animal Welfare Unit with an officer in every region throughout the country.

Animal welfare seminars were delivered in Indonesia to 250 staff and students of the Bandung Agricultural University, and a full time in-market consultant was appointed in Indonesia to instruct on the correct use of restraining boxes, to highlight the benefits of the practice and ensure its acceptance.

Stock handling training delivered to 500 people involved in the animal supply chain in Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Oman and Kuwait focused on safe and efficient discharge at Gulf ports and land transport to feedlots.

The training we delivered to workers at the Bahrain port saw unloading rates improve from 600 head/hour to 2,000 head/ hour, providing the triple bottom line benefits of improved welfare for livestock waiting to be unloaded, improved efficiencies with the vessel in port for a shorter period, and fewer staff required to unload the vessel.

Local ownership success

Understanding the local community was paramount to our success in Indonesia this year, particularly regarding the installation of restraining boxes in processing facilities.

Additional funding from the Australian Government via the Keniry budget allowed for rapid expansion of the restraining box installation program, helping us exceed our goals by seeing 40 new systems installed in 37 major abattoirs. Importantly this program used locally manufactured restraining boxes installed by local Indonesian people, establishing a sustainable model of improvement that does not rely on external support for its maintenance and expansion.

Balanced reporting on trade

We have worked hard to provide the Australian community, largely via the metropolitan press, with a more balanced picture of the trade and the people involved in it than that offered by animal activists.

We placed a series of one-page advertorials in WA newspapers to ensure the Perth community was aware of the activities, improvements and enhancements to the livestock export trade.

In addition, we conducted a review of all communication activities to benchmark their impact on community perceptions. This has allowed us to identify opportunities and challenges that are likely to face the industry in the coming years and deliver an integrated strategy across media, stakeholders and the community.

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