Australia’s regulation of the use of animals is typified by regulatory failure to adequately protect animal welfare.” Do you agree?
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Australia’s regulation of the use of animals is typified by regulatory failure to adequately protect animal welfare.” Do you agree?
Introduction
Governments and the State are responsible for the protection and effective implementation of laws. These laws and regulations can cover a wide variety of aspects of the life of a common law. Just as this, it is also the responsibility of these entities to for welfare and animal production laws and the level of their enforcement in their operational framework. The state does this by the administration of the legal laws that protect the welfare of the animals and prevent any sort of cruelty to occur to those animals. This is one of the methods used by governments to enforce such laws. For the purposes of the Australia’s Livestock Industries, a set of principles and codes have been developed, which are known as Model Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Animals. These codes have the ability to serve as the guide that can be followed on a voluntary basis and is important for those people that have under their care and are responsible for the welfare of a multitude of livestock animals. Keeping with the theme, this essay looks to analyse two case studies related to live export and use of animals in entertainment. This analysis will look at the different factors within the case studies and the laws that are applicable on them.
Discussion
The primary case study involved in this essay is related to the export of Live Cattle to Indonesia from Australia. Indonesia is one of the biggest markets for the export of Australian live cattle. There is a myriad of reasons for Indonesia being one of the biggest importers of Australian cattle. Indonesia itself does not have any methods through which they can meet the country’s ever going demand for red meat. This is why Australia exports live cattle to Indonesia in order to meet this market and its ever-going demand. Furthermore, the meat of cattle provides the necessary source of iron that is needed for the proper development of any human being. Iron has a variety of benefits for the human body and is essential in the formation of the important parts of the body that are integral for its proper working. This makes Indonesia an astounding market and one that has been fully tapped by Australia.
The cattle that usually comes into Indonesia is exported from Darwin (NT) or the city of Broome (Western Australia). This export is mostly carried out by both boats and planes. The thing is that during transport, there are people that are there to take care of the cattle while on the voyage. Furthermore, they are given plenty amount of food and water for the animals for their journey. This way, more than ninety nine percent of the cattle that arrives in Indonesia from Australia is fit and healthy upon arrival. When the cattle arrive, they are unloaded from the boats and are then placed on the drafting pens. From there onwards, they are kept in feedlots, this is where they are kept for a variable amount of time. It could be anywhere from a few days to several months. They are kept at this place in order to fatten them up and once it is visible that the cattle have fattened up, they are then sent to the abattoirs.
The cattle are humanely killed at the abattoirs and are then cut into beef slices that people enjoy very much. However, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for the country of Australia on 7th June 2011, banned all exports of cattle from Australia to the Indonesia. This was mostly done on the basis that there was inhuman treatment and slaughter of cattle in several different abattoirs. The basis of this decision was a leaked video that showed the inhumane slaughter of animals in a very small portions of abattoirs. This piece of news was very alarming for not only Indonesia but a multitude of news agencies in other countries that had also picked onto this story. There was a huge public outcry regarding how gruesomely animals were being treated in some of those abattoirs. Furthermore, it was also broadcasted in a documentary done by ABC. The visuals were overwhelmingly atrocious showing animals being whipped, slashed and beaten. They were further showed to have been suffering in terrible pain even before they were going to be slaughtered.
Australia has a tight policy on cruelty upon animals that are exported live to other countries such as Indonesia. The Minister for Agriculture of Australia, responded immensely to the allegations that had been made by the ABC documentary on the abattoirs of Indonesia. Primarily, the ban was supposed to start as a suspension of six months on the shipments that would have been sent to Indonesia. The Australian point of view was straightforward and detailed that the sustainability of the live cattle export industry is based on safeguarding the welfare of the animals that are integral for this system. Furthermore, their prerogative was that the trade between Australia and Indonesia would only be started if and only if the livestock industry within Indonesia is able to comply with the international guidelines of animal welfare. With the advent of the documentation, there was a huge outpour of rage regarding how an Australian asset is being treated overseas. Furthermore, in light of these events, it was even spread that a blanket ban has been considered. This ban stopped around two thousand cattle that were being boarded from Western Australia to Indonesia and was stopped in its tracks.
However, this had some disastrous effects for the beef farmers and the ones who export beef on a regular basis as well. This was because this ban came without any warning and the video was so exaggerated that nobody thought to look at how old the video was, as portions of it were older than four years. The Australian government has reaffirmed their action regarding working with the Indonesian government in order to build a sustainable future for the export of cattle. Furthermore, the animal welfare experts regularly deliver programs that train and educate to the stock men within the feedlots. The hope is that they would be able to take care of the animals safely and in a more efficient manner.
On the other hand, there are some gruesome stories to be heard about how animals are being treated in circuses, all for the entertainment of a few. Most children dream of running away and joining the circus but every animal in captivity in the circus wishes to run away from the circus. Everyone loves circuses, their colourful pageantry, and the animals playing and doing the most extra ordinary tricks that one can imagine. All this glitz and glamour hides the fact that these animals are captives and are disciplined by using threats of punishment. All this is done so that they become a piece of admiration for the people sitting in the stands. However, the tricks they play are uncomfortable, confusing, painful and repetitious. The appeal of the circuses would definitely vanish once the people realize their reality and know about the cruel methods that are used in order to train these animals. Furthermore, they have to suffer confinement, cramped spaces, and inhumane travel conditions.
There is no adequate care and access to basic necessities of life such as vet care, food and water for animals within circuses. This is because circuses are always on the move and this makes them unable to access all these important services that are important for the health of the animals under their care. These animals, who are naturally very big and are also very active are forced to travel and stay in cramped spaces such as cages and trailers. These are then used for transporting them across long distances. They are only allowed to leave these small places only when they have to go in front of a crowd to perform or have to practice for the tricks beforehand. The minimal requirements of the Animal Welfare Act are ignored and even elephants are placed in leg shackles that completely restrain their movement. This severely impacts their development and their physiology is directly affected by these actions.
The treatment of animals such as primates, chimpanzees and baboons are a far cry from what their relatives in the jungle are accustomed to. Where in the jungle, they live in close knit communities that are large and well knitted who are meant to travel each day to different hills, forests and savannahs. It is found that the primates are found to be highly intelligent and caring animals who actually suffer from companionship that when deprived of, they cannot survive. After having a look at the video footage comprising of baboons who are travelling in different circuses are not only in pathetic condition but it calls of the attention of people who are of the view that wildlife should be saved. The circus “Baboon Lagoon”, is one of the clear and accurate examples of this cruelty that is seen in the lives of baboons and monkeys, where it is observed that baboons are actually trained and told to do so. Also, it is highlighted that the research conducted by Dr Robert Sapolsky is another vision or product of this fact, taking into account the significance of tricks that are displayed by these animals. It is very obvious that teaching and training animals will definitely require same intimidation and punishment that is actually not acceptable. It is highlighted that during the offseason, there are a lot of animals who are seen housed and then travelling in barn stalls and carts while many of them are kept in the trucks. Such and many their interminable realms and restrictions can harm in a number of ways, such as psychological and physical casting highly tormenting effect on the animals. This ere action and unacceptance can be traced in different forms such as swaying, head hoping and the pacing of head. There are a lot of cases in which animals are beaten brutality submit themselves to the owner. It is highlighted that physical punishment uses one of the stand methods that is being used by people to treat animals. Animals are shocked, whipped and beaten in order to make them habitual of reforming the duties that they might not be able to p [reform under normal conditions and in their actual mood. According to AWA, animals are treated by using whips electrical shocks and many other devices such as circus trainer and bullocks that can help to train the animals. Also, some animals are drugged when they are sent for training with an idea that the effect of drug will ace it easy to manage them and it will automatically help to remove the unwanted organs such as claws and teeth of the animals.
The undercover investigation and analysis of Carson & Baron, it is highlighted that the animals are attached, they are cursed at and they are shocked endangered Asian Elephants. According to the instructions that were given by Frisco, one of the trainers at the elephant Tari Berm. it is brought into insight that the elephants are beaten and they are seen beaten by and then trusted by the people. Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros Circus is another such example that highlighted that US Department of Agriculture are taking radicle steps to overcome animal welfare violations taking into account the congress testimony that is given but elephant keeper. It is also found that there are a lot of animals who adopt rebellious attitude when they see themselves as being attacked and hampered by the trainers, one such example is of Flora, an elephant who was forced to perform in the circus and then was moved to the zoo where she injured and hampered the zoo-keeper. On illustration of animal rights is given by Palm Bay that elephants and other animals are trying to male human realize that they are not made for it but humans are continuously ignoring it.
Most of the Australian people are fighting for more and more reforms in the current framework of rules and regulations for the welfare of the animals. A good chunk of the Australian population has become increasingly interested in knowing how animals at the farm are reared and coupling this with a higher number of meat buyers that consider the ethics relating to the products that they buy. This has led to the increasing number of people that want to know and question the reality of animal welfare in the Australian food industry. According to several reports, around ninety percent of the people in Australia are becoming increasingly concerned about how the animals are treated in farms, while transporting and even in circuses. The country needs to head towards a stronger set of rules and regulation that make a person think twice about putting the life of an animal at jeopardy for their own gain. Furthermore, stricter sentencing and penalties should also be introduced in order to deter any thinking that might lead to harm to any animal.
These rules will help in training the minds of different people within the country. This will ethically empower the people to understand the values related to the welfare of animals. This will further improve the lives of animals held hostage and in captivity by any number of people around the country. Also, these policies would be based on science and research, which will prove to be very practical for industries to implement as well. This is because there has been a higher tilt towards cage free animal products from the consumer side and it would be very beneficial for the industries to implement such policies that get them closer to the customer demand. One last thing that could be done is to bring about a grading system for vendors that have the most to least humane food. This would make businesses get increasingly involved into the conditions of the animals being used in their product and influence them to work on negotiating deals with suppliers that uphold those morals and values.
Conclusion
In the analysis of the two case studies and case laws, it is highlighted that there are several violations of animal rights that need to be taken into consideration. Law making authorities need to take different efforts that not only assert the significance to animal rights in terms of protection of animals, strategies for the survival and the approach that can help to deal with people who try to captivate, torture and hurt animals. Also, there is a dire need to make laws that can ensure that all animals should be given the right to live with freedom and survive.
Bibliography
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