Urge the PM to End All Live Export Now!

Thanks to decades of work from intrepid investigators and dedicated campaigners, the government finally set a date to end the live export of sheep by sea, May 1, 2028. Now that Labor has won their second term, they must move forward with this election promise. The end is in sight, but there’s no excuse for the government to allow the victims of this cruel trade to continue to suffer in these horrific conditions for 3 more years.

While we wait, countless more animals will die. We need to call on the prime minister to end live export immediately – not only for sheep but for all animals.

What About Cattle?

An October 2023 PETA exposé showed that animals imported from Australia are still being butchered alive by workers in Indonesia, even though the Australian government insisted that the gruesome practice had been stopped. Despite a government assurance scheme, cruelty is systemic in the industry because there are no meaningful consequences for non-compliance.

Live Export is a Pandemic Risk

Not only is it cruel to force hundreds of animals to board huge ships, where they’ll be tossed about on rough seas amid litres of their own excrement before being slaughtered in ways that would be illegal in Australia, live export also exacerbates the risk of yet another zoonotic pandemic. These “floating petri dishes” take the risk of disease posed by factory farming on a world tour. Speaking on Australian national television, the late epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws said that live-animal export “can’t be safe” and warned of a “ghastly disease” outbreak.

Live Export is Not Green

The live-export trade is also one of the top 40 carbon dioxide emitters in Australia. Cattle and sheep are often transported thousands of kilometres by truck before reaching the ships, while the empty vessels journeying back to Australia to collect their next load of helpless animals create further emissions. In addition, raising cattle and sheep generates large amounts of greenhouse gases. And there’s an ocean of pollution: more than 100,000 litres of urine and faeces accumulate on a typical live export ship every single day. Dead animals are simply tossed overboard while the ship is underway.

Please use this form to write to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, urging him to reduce the suffering of these gentle, intelligent animals by ending the live export of all animals – sooner rather than later.

You may use the provided text, but as personalised letters always work best, your e-mail will carry more weight if you write your own customised message and subject line. (Remember to keep things polite!)

View Message +

Prime Minister

Anthony

Albanese

Parliament of Australia

Dear Prime Minister:

I am pleased that the government committed to banning the live export of sheep by 2028. However, I’m horrified to learn that cows and other animals are not included in the ban. I’m writing to urge you to extend to ALL animals your promise to end live-sheep export as a matter of urgency.

Ever since 40,000 sheep – and one human crew member – died aboard the sunken Farid Fares ship in 1980, compassionate Australians have been demanding an end to the live-animal export trade. In the decades since, 3 million animals have been subjected to slow and agonising deaths onboard these miserable ships and tens of millions more have met cruel ends in overseas slaughterhouses.

The suffering doesn’t end for those who survive the journey, as animals endure abuse and methods of slaughter that would be illegal in Australia. Many are dragged by their legs, and their throats may be cut while they’re still conscious. Investigation after investigation has drawn Parliament’s attention to this outrageous cruelty, yet no matter how many regulations and reviews are implemented at the taxpayers’ expense, animals continue to suffer.

Another concern is the fact that live-export ships are potential hotbeds for the next zoonotic pandemic. When stressed animals are kept in filthy, cramped conditions and slaughtered, the risk of disease is exacerbated. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75% of new or emerging infectious diseases in humans come from animals. Speaking on Australian national television programme “The Project”, the late epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws, who worked with the World Health Organization, said that live-animal export “can’t be safe” and warned of a “ghastly disease” outbreak.

Then there’s the damage to the environment: the live-export trade is one of the top 40 carbon dioxide emitters in Australia. Cattle and sheep are often transported thousands of kilometres by truck before reaching the ships, while the empty vessels journeying back to Australia to collect their next load of helpless animals create further emissions. In addition, raising cattle and sheep generates large amounts of greenhouse gases.

Please, reduce the suffering of these gentle, intelligent animals by ending the live export of all animals, or good, as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

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