The Link Between Leather and Live Export

The Link Between Leather and Live Export

More than 1.4 billion cows, sheep, and goats as well as millions of other animals are killed each year to feed the fashion industry’s demand for skin – but how much do we really know about the journeys of the sensitive individuals whose skin is stolen?

The global leather supply chain is complex, making it difficult for consumers to determine the origins and sometimes even the species of the animals used for the items they purchase.

Live export is a process in which trembling animals are pushed onto a severely crowded truck or ship and transported many thousands of kilometres.

A new PETA video tells the story of how the leather trade fuels the live-export industry from the perspective of an investigator who has witnessed it firsthand.

Butchered Alive: Australian Cattle Killed Overseas for Leather Shoes

In 2021, PETA Asia investigators visited seven Indonesian abattoirs at random, some of which were part of the Australian government’s Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System.

At these facilities, the investigators found botched stunning or sometimes none at all. They witnessed animals being prodded repeatedly with metal rods and gasping for air as blood filled their throats.

The investigators learned that the skins of some Australian cattle were sold to a fashion brand that exports leather shoes worldwide.

Butchered Alive: Australian Cattle Killed Overseas for Your Leather Shoes – News – PETA Australia

Chilling scenes of abuse of Australian animals have been documented at Indonesian abattoirs this year, prompting a fresh set of complaints to be filed against Australia’s live-export industry, but consumers must take action as the government has shown no inclination to lift a finger. 

The footage is a harrowing glimpse into the trade that supplies flesh to dangerous wet markets and skin to the global leather industry. Some of the facilities visited by PETA Asia investigators are even part of the Australian government’s Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS), dispelling all doubt about government inaction.

In the same month this abuse occurred, Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton expressed his “full confidence in the standards the Australian industry upholds”. Watch the footage below and decide if you can say the same. If not, please stop buying leather right now!

Botched Stunning or None at All

PETA Asia investigators visited seven randomly selected abattoirs in Indonesia in April and May 2021 and filed an official complaint.

They found steers and bulls being forced into restraint boxes and shot in the head with captive-bolt guns. The cattle were often fully aware of what was happening to them. They slammed their bodies against the metal chute they were trapped in, in a futile attempt to turn around and escape.

Workers repeatedly failed to stun cows adequately. Clearly still conscious after being shot in the head, one steer was jabbed 64 times in the face and on his torso with a steel rod to try to force him to stand back up so a worker could shoot him again.

Workers also violently twisted his tail until it was broken. In a last-ditch attempt to move the struggling, panicked steer, they pulled on his broken tail a dozen times.

Then there were those for whom stunning wasn’t even attempted at all. Some cattle were simply physically restrained before their throats were slit – which, believe it or not, is a killing method approved by the Australian government.

ALEC boasts on its website that 95% of Australian cattle in Indonesia are now stunned prior to slaughter. But based on what investigators saw, that’s not the case.

Butchered Alive

Abattoir workers viciously yanked and deliberately stepped on animals’ tails, apparently in a crude attempt to check for consciousness. Some cattle still kicked, but they were butchered anyway, with no further attempts at rendering them unconscious.

Steers who were still moving and whose heads dangled by only a strip of flesh after their throats had been slit were hung by the neck on metal hooks. Their legs continued to thrash as they were dragged across the bloody floor and then hoisted up.

Investigators saw animals blinking after their throats were cut, gasping for air as blood filled their throats. Some suffered this way for up to 12 minutes after being shot with a captive-bolt gun.

Monica KH Bando, a veterinarian with more than 13 years of clinical and research experience, said the footage captured by investigators depicted “egregious violations of acceptable animal welfare standards for livestock” including “[p]oorly designed facilities, unsanitary conditions, substandard handling, restraint methods that induce stress and distress, lack of stunning and ineffective stunning, and inhumane killing methods”.

10 Years of Failure

Workers told investigators that the cows being slaughtered came from Australia, and most wore Australian National Livestock Identification System ear tags.

These are just a tiny percentage of the millions of animal victims of Australia’s live-export trade. Australia exported more than 1.8 million animals in 2020, and the vast majority of them were cattle.

It’s been a decade since cruelty in the live-export trade to Indonesia was exposed by Animals Australia on national TV in the programme Four Corners, after which a traceability programme – Export Supply Chain Assurance System – was put in place.

The programme hasn’t provided “assurance” of any kind. In fact, it’s been a colossal failure. It was supposed to stop this kind of cruelty. There have been 184 reports of non-compliance (just reports – the number of incidents would be far higher) since it was established.

When this latest footage was filmed, the Department of Agriculture was still investigating cruelty complaints against Indonesian abattoirs made by Animals Australia in 2020.

The Government Ignores This, but We Have the Power to Stop It

The Australian government should be preparing for a future without live exports, but it’s not. Every new exposé is “shocking” to those in power, but are you really surprised? When animals are crammed onto ships as though they were inanimate commodities and then sold for slaughter, how can anyone expect them to be treated as if their pain mattered?

Australia is a nation of self-proclaimed animal lovers, so many of us blame somebody else for the cruelty – the government or people overseas. Never mind that these cattle were slaughtered for meat and leather sold all over the world, potentially even in Australia.

The live-export industry is the meat industry and the leather industry. If you buy meat at an Australian supermarket or purchase a pair of leather shoes, you’re putting money in the pockets of the same people who send these animals to be slaughtered in hideous, painful ways overseas.

And since the leather produced in Indonesia is exported globally, you could be wearing or sitting on the skin of the same animals you’ve just watched in this video. PETA Asia investigators found that the skins of some Australian cattle were sold to a fashion brand that exports leather shoes worldwide.

If you continue to buy the flesh or skin of animals, you send the same message to producers that the government does, i.e. that this industry has a social license to continue and a sustainable future. Please, act now to change the market and spare animals’ lives every time you buy a meal, a pair of shoes, a jacket, or a belt. Personal responsibility will end this trade. Let’s go!

START YOUR VEGAN JOURNE

Australia: It’s Time to Abandon Ship

In April 2021, New Zealand announced a ban on all live exports (including breeding “stock”) by sea, citing the need to “stay ahead of the curve in a world where animal welfare is under increasing scrutiny”. New Zealand actually banned export for slaughter all the way back in 2008. In May 2021, the UK announced that it intends to ban the live export of animals for slaughter and fattening.

Meanwhile, Australia is still leaving a bloody trail around the world, causing animals misery en route and in every port they reach.

This investigation shows that no regulations, reviews, or reports are making the barbaric business of shipping and killing live animals more humane

TAKE ACTION

Demand an End to ALL Live Export – NOW! | PETA Australia

Regards Mark

WAV Comment:

The use of vessels which have exceeded their ‘scrap by’ dates and then purchased to be converted into livestock carriers are something which is seen all too much (unfortunately) by those of us monitoring the live animal export industry. 

When the ‘Queen Hind’ sank after leaving the Romanian port of Midia in November 2019, many thousands of sheep also drowned there. Who is pulling one when they paint ‘Safety First’ on the vessel ?

Only 180 sheep survived the ‘Hind’ incident out of the 14,600 initially believed to have been onboard, which was carrying them from Romania, the EU’s biggest exporter of the animal, to Saudi Arabia.

But the revelations uncovered during salvage about the Hind having secret decks only increased the death toll of the sheep carried by several thousands, and also raised fresh questions on whether overloading was to blame for the capsize.

Seems strange does it not, that the Sudan incident happening very recently, included the failure of an official PSC ministry inspection of the vessel over a 10-year gap from 2008-18.  Were the extra 4 decks fitted onto the vessel during this time ? – yes; and could this have been what caused the vessel to become ‘top heavy’ and overturn when fully loaded with animals ?

We are not afraid to say, but we also question if these incidents are about compensation issues.  If you have a very old ship and it is written off, do you not get insurance money which will probably buy you a better one ? – and the livestock ?; somebody somewhere is going to get compensated for the ‘loss’ of the cargo one assumes.

A disgusting business which belongs in the history books.  No doubt it will happen again, what once, twice or more ?

I simply ask the question; how are these old rust buckets allowed to cross the oceans of the world carrying livestock when they have not had an official inspection for over 10 years ? – when I have a car, it has to be inspected and pass rigorous (MOT) testing by the authorities each and every year.  ‘My car’ carries 4 or 5 people, not 15,000 live animals; so should ithe floating death traps not be inspected more regularly to higher standards when operating ? – especially when they are that old in the first place.

Baffled ? – yes I am, just like many others.

Regards Mark

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The vessel Al Badri 1 (misreported as the Badr 1) began sinking at the pier at Suakin, Sudan in the early hours of a recent Sunday morning. The vessel capsized slowly, officials told The Guardian, and the crew had enough time to disembark. Only some 700 sheep escaped and survived. 

The loss of the Al Badri 1 may affect the port’s operations, as well as the environment, given the potential for a fuel oil spill and the effluent from the decay of thousands of sheep. The vessel is now submerged next to its berth, interfering with the pier’s use until the wreck is cleared.

The Al Badri 1 (ex name Henry Stahl, Ester 1, Ytong 1, Malak 1) was a stern-ramp ro/ro freighter originally built in 1973 and converted into a livestock carrier later in her lifespan.

She had a history of port state control deficiencies in recent years, as well as a 10-year gap from 2008-18 in which she had no PSC inspections. 

Images from before and after the Al Badri 1’s conversion suggest that four extra decks were welded on above the ship’s main deck level to add more space for livestock. 

Worldwide, livestock carriers are generally older than the average merchant ship, and the average fleet age for the class exceeds 40 years. Almost all are conversions, often from ro/ro vessels.

The ships selected for the conversion process have usually already arrived at the normal age for demolition (about 30) when they begin their new life, based on a 2021 study by Animal Welfare Foundation, Tierschutzbund Zürich and Robin des Bois. 

A similar incident occurred aboard the livestock carrier Queen Hind in November 2019. The vessel capsized off the coast of Romania under unusual circumstances, drowning almost all of the 15,000 sheep on board. 

WAV article on this – Romania: Secret Decks of Sheep On The ‘Queen Hind’ Which Sank at Midia ??. We Still Wait For EU Action and the Report Promised by the Romanian Government. – World Animals Voice

From the Romanian incident – Secret decks for extra animals have been found in a livestock carrier that sank off the Romanian port of Midia in November drowning thousands of sheep, according to the company carrying out the massive salvage operation.

Only 180 sheep survived out of the 14,600 initially believed to have been onboard the Queen Hind, which was carrying them from Romania, the EU’s biggest exporter of the animal, to Saudi Arabia.

But the revelations about secret decks are likely to increase the death toll by several thousands, and raise fresh questions on whether overloading was to blame for the capsize.

The vessel was left on its side in the water as it sank not far from port, with sheep corpses piling up around it. Images of the tragedy made headlines worldwide and led to renewed calls by animal activists to impose a ban on live exports from Europe to non-EU countries, particularly the Middle East and north Africa.

We also understand that the vessel in the Sudanese incident was officially only allowed to carry 9,000 animals; yet 15,800+ being carried drowned. Thus, it would appear as we always suspect with these cheap rate bathtubs which are used in this business, the vessel was carrying twice as many animals as it should have been; which we expect (are very certain of) being the cause of the incident in the first place.

It has happed before – see the ‘Queen Hind’ secret decks data above.

Regards Mark

10 June 2022

WELFARM

News

As the summer season approaches, Welfarm launches its new campaign to end the suffering of farm animals in hot weather.

Climate change will increase the intensity and frequency of heat waves, posing increased risks to farm animal welfare. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report recently showed that climate change is causing a steady increase in temperature. This increase is not without effect on farm animals.

For several years, Welfarm has been reporting on the suffering of animals transported by extreme temperatures. On 19 May, Welfarm decided to go one step further by alerting the general public and institutional actors to the consequences of global warming for farm animals whether on farms or in trucks and boats. 

With this new campaign Welfarm calls on authorities to radically change the conditions under which animals are kept and transported to put an end to the suffering they endure during heat waves.

Welfarm’s demands are as follows:

With regard to livestock

• Reduce densities,
• Ensure an appropriate environment for the animals (access to open-air for terrestrial animals, shaded ponds for fish).

With regard to transport

• No transport of animals at temperatures above 30°C,
• Ban on export of live animals to non-EU countries.

Regarding transport, Welfarm has relaunched its Truck Alert application, which makes it possible to report trucks transporting animals during hot weather. 

For more information on the campaign or to sign the petition: click here. 

Read more at source

Welfarm

Regards Mark

Hell Tours – your No. 1 Animal Travel Agency.

There’s just LESS THAN A WEEK TO GO until Ban Live Exports: International Awareness Day!

Will you stand up for animals on Tuesday 14th June?

This year we’re going all-out to highlight the horror of the ‘once in a lifetime’ trips that sheep, cattle, and pigs are forced to ensure during live export.

At CIWF UK, we’re all set for our ‘Hell Tours’ London Rally, which is taking place at Parliament Square, on June 14th from 12.30pm-2pm. And today we are launching a brand-new action to end the horror of live exports.

Action – send an e card to the secretary of state at Defra – Act to ban live exports (ciwf.org.uk)

Print off a placard and share a selfie online with #BANLIVEEXPORTS on June 14th!

I look forward to standing up, with you, for animals this Ban Live Exports: International Awareness Day.

Share the event – (20+) Ban Live Exports London Rally | Facebook

Join the Hell Tours rally in London – (20+) Ban Live Exports London Rally | Facebook

Sarah Moyes
Senior Campaigns Manager UK

Regards Mark

WAV Comment:

First; get your cash out (as animal people) and please make a donation to:  Please Support Spencer In His Work To Raise Funds For Our Great Friends At ‘Animal Aid Unlimited’, India. – World Animals Voice

Spencer is doing his bit for AAU despite personal health issues; and a donation is the least that can be done is to support him and the wonderful Animal Aid Unlimited (AAU)..

Second;  live animal transport is happening the world over; on the road, rail and at sea right now, today, 1/6/22.  Everything needs to be done to raise as much publicity about the international live export awareness day on 14/6 as possible.  It does not matter where you are in the world, or how big or little a group you represent; just get involved on your patch.

I have personally seen the suffering of this disgusting business for well over 30 years; and now it is time to confine it as a sick chapter in the book of animal history – abuses.

Please support BOTH these asks for help;

Regards Mark (WAV)

From ‘Compassion In World Farming’ (CIWF) – London.

Compassion in World Farming | Compassion in World Farming (ciwf.org.uk)

There’s two weeks to go until our seventh annual Ban Live Exports: International Awareness Day!

After two years of exclusively online events due to restrictions on gatherings, we’re so excited to be back with a rally in London. Will you join us on Tuesday 14th June and show your support for a ban on the live export of animals?

Rally location confirmed

The flagship UK event for Ban Live Exports Day will be at Parliament Square in London from 12.30-2pm on Tuesday 14th June. Join campaigners from far-and-wide as we come together with MPs and special guests to help end this suffering.

How to get involved:

■ Join our London rally and help call on the UK Government to progress the Kept Animals Bill, which would ban live exports from Britain, without further delay. ■ If you can’t join us in London, don’t worry. We’ll be livestreaming at the event on our Facebook page so you can watch online. ■ Get your banners ready! Download one here, or make your own, to bring to the rally or post a selfie on social media on June 14th with the hashtag #BanLiveExports. ■ Keep your eyes peeled as next month we’ll be launching brand-new actions to demand the UK Government, and the EU, end this cruel trade for good.

Together we can take the next steps towards ending a cruel, outdated, and unnecessary global trade. I look forward to standing with you on June 14th.

Sarah Moyes
Senior Campaigns Manager UK

PS: Don’t forget to head over to our Facebook event and let us know if you’re able to join us for this day of action.

Regards Mark

Live Animal Transport

WAV Comment –

The UK government has recently (since Brexit and leaving the EU) undertaken a consultation on live animal transport which has been open to the British public and any for / against (live export) organisations wishing to submit comments on the subject of all categories associated with live animal transport (exports).  We at WAV took a lot of time (several weeks) with precise submissions and evidence to argue our case on why we considered that long distance live animal transport is unnecessary and should be banned – or at the very most be a one off transport time of 8 hours maximum; which would basically stop all exports from the UK to mainland Europe. 

Here is just one short clip of the response start:

Q1: Do you agree that livestock and horse export journeys for slaughter and fattening are unnecessary?

87% of respondents agreed that livestock and horse export journeys for slaughter and fattening are unnecessary. 11%4 disagreed and 2% did not express a definitive opinion. The majority of respondents who agreed that such journeys are unnecessary were members of the general public and animal welfare groups. The main reason respondents gave for agreeing was that they were concerned about welfare standards during the transportation of live animals. Many individual respondents and animal welfare organisations stated that live exports were cruel and degrading to the animals involved.

Great to see such a high figure of 87% of the British people and organisations basically agreed that live animal exports were unnecessary.

The full document which details the summary of responses to every section of the consultation:

Document title – UK Government:  Improvements to animal welfare in transport Summary of responses and government response Date: August 2021

Click on the following to review the document:

Improvements to animal welfare in transport: summary of responses and government response (publishing.service.gov.uk)

In this document – an Introduction by the UK government:

The welfare of all animals, including in transport, is a real priority for both the UK Government and the Welsh Government. The UK Government has a manifesto commitment to end excessively long journeys for slaughter and fattening, which we are taking forward through our Kept Animals Bill.

Now we have left the EU, we have the opportunity to look at alternative methods to better protect animal welfare during transport. The Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC, now known as the Animal Welfare Committee) report in 2019 identified several aspects of transport that have a detrimental effect on animal welfare. They made a series of recommendations to the current regulations on animal welfare during transport. A Welsh Government response to this paper was published in 2020.

Following the findings in this report, we have looked at improvements to animal welfare in transport, including maximum journey times, thermal conditions and ventilation, space and headroom allowances and sea transport.

We have received a wide range of views to our consultation. We have listened to those views, and will continue to work with industry, NGOs and others to identify priorities where the evidence is clear and in other cases to explore some of the issues and evidence together in more detail. I want us to work together to develop practical solutions that generate the good welfare outcomes we all want to see.

This is a big step, but where the evidence is clear we must act. We want to work with industry to co-design solutions to achieve high welfare outcomes and help them make this transition.

The Rt Hon George Eustice MP Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Lesley Griffiths MS Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd

As a result of the consultation, the following statement was issued by the UK government:

Live animal exports

Having considered the evidence available, including responses to this consultation, the government confirms it will proceed with a ban on the export of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats and pigs) and horses from England, Wales and Scotland for slaughter and fattening. Exports for slaughter and fattening from England, Wales and Scotland will be prohibited whether the animals originate from or are travelling through England, Wales and Scotland.

For the purposes of this consultation, exports for fattening were defined as exports where the animal is to be slaughtered within 6 months of arrival. A large proportion of respondents were critical of the proposed definition and considered a time limit to be unenforceable. Having taken account of this feedback, we propose to remove the reference to a 6-month time limit so that the prohibition will apply to all exports of livestock and horses where an animal is exported to the place of destination in order to be fattened for subsequent slaughter.

To further support our (WAV) welfare organisations call for a complete ban on live animal exports; I have decided to include here for you a series of undercover videos which were undertaken in years prior to the consultation relating to live export issues around Europe.  I have included journey routes, times and animal species.  So here we go:

CIWF live export investigations.

Below are undercover investigations undertaken by CIWF (London).

Video links for each are given; but if you wish to read additional information about the investigations, then head to:

Our investigations into live animal transport | Compassion in World Farming (ciwf.org.uk)

• UK to continental Europe – Trucking Hell.

Journey route: Southern Scotland to France and beyond

Animals transported: Calves

• Journey route: Eastern Europe to Israel

Estimated distance: 2,500 miles

Estimated time: 7 days

Animals transported: Calves

• Journey route: Northern England to Western France

Estimated distance: 630 miles

Estimated time: 18 hours

Animals transported: Sheep

• Journey route: Southern England to Southern Germany

Estimated distance: 590 miles

Estimated time: 23 hours

Animals transported: Sheep

• Journey route: West of England to Northern Spain

Estimated distance: 1,100 miles

Estimated time: 60 hours

Animals transported: Calves

• Journey route: Hungary & Slovakia to Turkey and Latvia to Iraq

Estimated distance: 3,000 miles

Estimated time: up to 13 days

Animals transported: Bulls – click ‘watch on YouTube’ to view.

• Journey route: EU to Turkey

Animals transported: Sheep and cattle

• Journey route: Poland to Italy & the Netherlands

Estimated distance: over 1,000 miles

Estimated time: over 24 hours

Animals transported: Calves

Additional – For more and info on the international live export awareness day on 14/6/22 please click on  Ban Live Exports | Compassion in World Farming (ciwf.org.uk)  or go to

Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day | Compassion in World Farming (ciwf.org.uk)

Regards Mark

https://www.kindnesstrust.com/philip-wollen-speaks

Philip is our Patron here at WAV.

We share many things, but especially that of promoting veganism and also of stopping the transport of live animals all around the world – live exports.

14/6/21 – Mr Philip Wollen Becomes The First WAV Patron; We Are (More Than) Delighted, and Welcome Him To The Group. – World Animals Voice

Home – Winsome Constance Kindness (kindnesstrust.com)

Thanks to Phil for leaving his major exec job in the corporate world and instead being a voice for animals.

We are all united in our attempts to make things better; a lot better.

Regards Mark

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/?s=live+exports