An " Emotional " response !

When pictures of Australian cattle being ill treated in Indonesian abattoirs were shown on television  it sparked anger across this nation.  In a knee jerk reaction, the government closed down shipments and brought the northern cattle industry to it's knees.   Exports have resumed, but this market has been permanently damaged - and export numbers are in decline.

Stopping exports was a major blunder.  We would have been better served by pressuring the Indonesian government to improve abattoir conditions.  It is unlikely that a third world country  could achieve the standard of meat processing that is practised here, but it is equally clear that insisting that cattle be killed, processed and chilled here in Australia and then exported to Indonesia will not work.

The lack of refrigeration in a tropical country means that meat must be processed locally - and usually in primitive conditions.   Small villages often slaughter one or two animals and immediately sell the meat for immediate consumption.   What is slaughtered must be consumed within a very reasonable period  because of this lack of refrigeration.

The bigger abattoirs in major centres process more cattle and the Indonesian government responds to Australian pressure to improve standards.  Unfortunately, anti cattle export groups tend to highlight isolated incidents and this plays on the emotions of viewers with  compassion for animals.

Now we have another " humanity " problem here in Australia.  Horses are an introduced species to this country.  They were brought here by the early settlers and some escaped to create " Brumby " herds that are now increasing in number and damaging the Kosciuszko national park in the Snowy Mountains.

A decade ago numbers were as low as two thousand.  Today, there are seven thousand wild horses and unless they are culled they will do massive damage to this sensitive environment.

The only practical culling method is shooting from the air, but this will produce harrowing scenes that will disturb many viewers, and you can be sure the anti-culling people will take measures to present the cull in a bad light.

We have just had a European scandal where horse meat was presented as beef, but horse meat is acceptable in many parts of the world and if these wild horses have to be culled, why not turn a problem into a marketing opportunity and offer this product on the world market ?

By licensing meat exporters to do their work in the Snowy Mountains national parks we would solve the Brumby problem and create a new industry.  Trapping wild horses to be processed in mobile abattoirs would be far more humane than shooting from the air and leaving the carcases to rot in the field.

The treatment of animals evokes a highly emotional response from many people, but it is important to keep the subject in focus.   The damage done to the cattle trade with Indonesia has seen a new surplus in the Northern Territory seeking inadequate pasture and water - and some have been euthanized.   It is simply not possible to ignore the fast growing herd of Brumbies decimating the Snowy Mountains.   From a practical point of view, it is simply a decision to select the most humane solution.

We need to think long and hard - and examine the entire question - before we stampede our politicians into knee jerk reactions !