RSPCA calls for suspension of live animal exports to Vietnam after video shows cattle brutally killed with sledgehammers
One of the animals at an abattoir in Vietnam. (Photo courtesy: Animals Australia)
Australia’s peak animal welfare group has called for the suspension of the live cattle export trade to Vietnam after footage emerged of the animals being bludgeoned to death with sledgehammers in a Vietnamese abattoir.
Animal rights lobby group, Animals Australia, secretly taped the footage which was aired by ABC’s 7.30 program on Thursday.
The footage, which reportedly was taken last month, prompted the federal government to launch an investigation into the abattoirs identified.
RSPCA’s Chief Science and Strategy Officer, Dr Bidda Jones, said in response to the video footage, the picture of a terrified animal being beaten with a sledgehammer would be repeated in slaughterhouses in Vietnam every day.
“Sledgehammering of cattle to kill them is a widespread practice in Vietnam, and it has been well known to the Australian Government and live exporters since the start of exports to Vietnam 5 years ago”.
“This is a huge animal welfare crisis, and, for this reason, RSPCA Australia, as Australia’s leading animal welfare organisation, must be included in the independent panel the industry will set up to review the trade, announced today by the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council”.
“RSPCA Australia is calling on the Government to immediately suspend live exports to Vietnam until the security of supply chains are watertight”.
“We called on the live export industry to voluntarily suspend the trade to Vietnam more than 12 months ago. Nothing happened”.
Confronting footage shows cattle being bludgeoned with a sledgehammer.
(Photo courtesy: Animals Australia)
The Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) have today, agreed to implement additional animal welfare measures amid community pressure.
ALEC chief executive Alison Penfold said in a statement that she was appalled by the footage: “I have watched this footage and it is some of the most graphic footage of cruelty I have ever seen. This is slaughter at its cruellest and most sickening. Of course we don’t condone this practice.”
“The footage will call into question the genuine individual efforts of exporters over the past year to take actions to tighten supply chain controls and we have a lot of work to do to build trust in the regulatory process set up to protect the welfare of Australian cattle.”
“Although we exported more than 300,000 cattle last year to Vietnam, it is individual facility failures which we must address if our industry is going to have any chance of regaining public confidence in live export trade to Vietnam.”
Meanwhile, agriculture minister and deputy PM Barnaby Joyce says the industry had suspended supply of cattle to three abattoirs in Vietnam.
But he has rejected pleas from animal welfare advocates calling for trade to be suspended entirely until security of supply chains can be guaranteed, saying such actions would only hurt farmers and regional communities.
The minister described the video as disturbing and ‘abhorrent’ and warns negligent live cattle exporters that they could have their licences revoked.
“It has not yet been confirmed on the evidence available whether the cattle were originally sourced from Australia, however the Australian industry has already taken action to suspend all exports to identified Vietnamese abattoirs,” Mr Joyce said.
“I am confident their investigations will reveal what has gone wrong and what actions are required to prevent the mistreatment of Australian animals.”
To watch the video footage, click on this link.
– TiVi Tuan-san
