Thursday, October 27, 2011

You can't kill a sheep at home anymore: It's about time!!!

Photo Credit:  John Peaveler, K'sPATH

‘ME nations agree to end home slaughter of Australian sheep’ Deal with Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar comes before Eid

SYDNEY, Oct 26, (RTRS): Australia’s live sheep export industry has reached an agreement with three key Middle East markets to prevent the slaughter of these animals at homes, an executive of the Sheepmeat Council of Asutralia said on Wednesday.

The agreement with governments and livestock industries in Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, comes ahead of the Islamic religious festival Eid al Adha between Nov 6 and 9 when Muslims are required to sacrifice animals as an act of obedience to Allah.

Ahead of the festival, individual sheep are often bought from holding feed lots after arriving in Middle East countries, tossed in a car boot and taken home for slaughter — a practice which animal welfare agencies claim is cruel.

“Key to assuring the welfare of Australian sheep is the implementation by importers and importing governments of a ‘no private sales’ policy to unknown slaughter points in these markets,” the council’s chairman Kate Joseph said.

Individual buyers of sheep will be required to use slaughter facilities that comply with global animal welfare standards.

Earlier this year, Australia banned live cattle exports to Indonesia for a month, after television footage showed cattle being beaten, whipped and maimed prior to slaughter in some Indonesian abattoirs.
The sheep meat council’s chief executive, Ron Cullen, said the plan was being implemented ahead of a new framework to be put in force next year to ensure Australian animals were only exported to audited supply chains which meet global animal welfare standards.

“The plan is very much in line with recommendations by the government (announced last week) but we’re bringing the time-line forward ahead of Eid al Adha,” said Cullen.

Cullen said as part of the plan there would be observers on the ground to ensure that individuals did not buy sheep for home slaughter as well as advertising and the continuation of education programs.
Australia, the world’s largest exporter of live animals, shipped 2.9 million sheep valued at A$343.5 million ($358.9 million) to Middle Eastern markets in 2010/11.

3 comments:

LWDLIK said...

I've just been reading about this in the Arab Times too. Big 1/4 page public announcement on page 5.
??

Anonymous said...

its not killing a sheep ,its a sacrifice,you may call it slaughtered.seriously it pisses me off when people say "killing the sheep".its different.

Desert Girl said...

Anonymous 9:05: Killing Killing Killing.

PETA and the Australians have been documenting inhumane treatment of sheep in Kuwait for at LEAST the past 10 years (that I am personally aware of). This includes slaughter houses (movies are on YouTube and on PETA websites). Animals in Kuwait are OFTEN not killed in humane or halal conditions. The documentation has included animals seeing other animals being killed, slipping and hurting themselves being taken in to be slaughtered and having their bones broken and other truely awful things done to them. After having seen the evidence myself - I CALL IT KILLING.

I applaud them for bringing this law about. Laws are never enforced in Kuwait; this of course would include "slaughter" houses. How can "sacrifice" be monitored in private homes? Is it humane to throw sheep in the trunk of a vehicle causing it undue suffering/injury.

Sorry, but you're not going to get sympathy from me for "sacrifice" when it is clearly not what Islam stipulates as halal.