Animals Australia

• Australia’s government wants to end live animal exports.
• Chaired by the former head of the Murray Darling Basin Authority, Phillip Glyde, the panel is expected to report by the end of September.
• The thornier question is whether the ban – something animal welfare activists have campaigned for decades – will be a net gain for global animal welfare.

Scandals, bans and reforms

• In 2022 it accounted for about 4.7% of the global trade, mostly shipping sheep to the Middle East and cattle to Asia.
• These markets either lack reliable refrigeration and cold-chain facilities for processed meat or have a cultural preference for freshly slaughtered meat adhering to specific practices, like halal.
• Exports to Indonesia were suspended for six weeks in 2012, following an ABC Four Corners expose of cruelty to cattle in abattoirs.
• These scandals, however, have led to significant reforms in the industry, with the federal government imposing stringent obligations on exporters for trade to resume.

Regulating treatment in importing nations

• Two sets of Australian regulations oversee the treatment of animals being shipped for slaughter overseas.
• Treatment in importing countries is covered by the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS).
• They require exporters to ensure all handlers and facilities (ports, transport vehicle, feedlots and abbatoirs) in importing countries to comply with both local and Australian welfare guidelines.

Imperfect but ‘unique and innovative’

• A 2021 review of ESCAS by the federal Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports identified a number of regulatory gaps and ways to make the system more efficient.
• In particular it noted that loss of control and traceability, sometimes with poor animal welfare outcomes, still occurs at low but chronic levels.

Reporting non-compliance

• Anyone can make these reports, which are publicly available, along with the investigations arising.
• For example, in 2021 the animal rights group Animals Australia reported non-compliant slaughter of sheep in Jordan.

• VENICE, ITALY, Sept. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nicolas Berggruen, Chairman of the Berggruen Institute, today announced the selection of moral philosopher and public intellectual Peter Singer as the winner of the 2021 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture.
• "Peter Singer has demonstrated the vital role of public philosophy in our world," said Nicolas Berggruen.
• Singer will receive the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture in Spring 2022 in a ceremony to be held in Los Angeles.
• Established by philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen in 2016, the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture was first awarded to Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor for his impact on the humanities, social sciences and public affairs in deepening understanding among different intellectual traditions and civilization.