Here's the link to see the episode in i-view if you can manage it....
Essentially (and saving us all a harrowing tale) beefy lovelies (mostly Brahmans) from Northern Australia are being exported live to Indonesia, with the endorsement and encouragement of our governments and Australian industry, where they are then kept and killed in atrocious circumstances (in Australia such systematic mistreatment of animals, I trust, would result in both fines and gaol terms...) - I can't even bear to type about the manner in which these poor creatures are mistreated. It is simply appalling (you will need to try to sit through the story if you can).
Here (in blogger land), There (in the home and around the traps), and Everywhere my personal position on animal welfare and vegetarianism has been stated and lived fairly clearly... I am a vegetarian, I live on a beef property, I advocate that all animals (and especially domesticated animals that depend upon human care) be treated with respect and... yes... LOVE, for all their lives. I maintain that if you eat meat, you should make yourself familiar with the beast you are consuming: where did it come from? (locally I hope), what did it eat? (milk from its mother and grass from the paddock I hope), how did it live? (naturally, out in the paddocks, in a herd, doing cattle things to the last possible moment I hope), how was it treated? (with considered care, and minimal intervention or chemicals I hope), how was it dispatched from this world? (without a long truck journey, stress-free, swiftly, painlessly, by someone experienced I hope)...
I don't think this is too much to ask.
and if, like me, you feel that even with the very best circumstances, eating something that had a face, a mind, a heart, and a personality seems - well - just not right... then don't.
Choose a vegetarian diet.
Irrespective of individual choices - I hope that everyone, everywhere sends our (Australian) government and involved industries a very clear message:
LIVE EXPORT OF ANIMALS MUST STOP
sign the GetUp! petition: here
FP and the Friesan boys and girls....
NOT destined for live export to unfriendly lands....
NOT destined for live export to unfriendly lands....
** I am so appalled by live export and inhumane treatment of animals that I've cross-posted this on both my sams creek farm blog and here.....
UPDATE Wed... I posted on the farm blog a lovely collection of pics taken this morning of some of our calves.... a cheerful sight to counter-balance all the horrible 'four corner' images....
....
I agree that the treatment of these animals was atrocious, and has been for years. We should not be a party to this in any way.
ReplyDeleteBravo Ronnie...
ReplyDeletenot only are farmers like you guys doing a brilliant job but you are voicing something everyone of us have a huge need to know about... and that is how our food is produced all the way along the line....
none of us should be so distracted that we don't take any notice... everyday we take a farmer or many for granted... each bite or sip of some precious food stuff!
National year of the farmer next year in OZ ... maybe we artists should make our mark with that!
S
This country (and that means everyone, because "we" have never stopped any of the long line of atrocities) has a shameful burden.
ReplyDeleteWe can do no more (legally!) than continue to protest.Sending boatloads of refugees (here or home again) to become under-paid workers isn't going to help!
I was, like Jackie French, not prepared to eat anything I could not kill for myself. A bit difficult in suburbia!So now I buy organic-farmed meat.
In circumstances like these its easy to feel both powerless and guilty and after a short while to allow those feelings to fuel a sort of resignation ('there's not much I can do...')
ReplyDeleteI had a lengthy online debate with my father over the past few days (my FB friends were privy to this... I don't think they realise that large scale full-body contact debating is a way of life between the two of us - and that there's no personal anger or animosity involved...) He argued that if Australia just withdrew from live export, another country would fill the gap, and that would mean we then have even less opportunity to affect change..... I basically countered that saying you may be the lesser of two evils didn't make the actions suddenly acceptable.... and that the only way to affect change is to quietly stand firm in your beliefs.... withdraw and you have the opportunity to encourage others to follow your lead. Look to recent history - passive resistance and embargoes have brought about massive change.
A favourite quote:
"Never underestimate the power of a small group of people to change the world. In fact, it is the only way it ever has." Margaret Mead