Animal Aid opposes the export of live animals for slaughter on the grounds that:

• the transportation process is an unnatural and inhumane environment for these animals. It results in extreme distress for all animals and can result in dire welfare outcomes, including disease and death.
• The Australian Government cannot ensure that exported livestock are slaughtered humanely once they have left Australia. There is no guarantee that animals will be treated in line with the Australian community and government standards and expectations.
• the way in which animals are treated cannot be influenced by Australia once they have left Australian shores
• conditions faced by animals during transportation and slaughter is increasingly inconsistent with the expectations and sentiments of the Australian community
  

The Facts
The following provides an overview of the facts about the live meat export trade:

• Every animal protection organisation in the world opposes live animal export on the basis of unacceptable cruelty.
• Investigations by Animals Australia since 2003 have revealed that despite Australia's involvement in the marketplace for decades, exported animals are still routinely subjected to brutal handling and are slaughtered whilst fully conscious.
• The Australian Government cannot ensure that exported livestock are slaughtered humanely once they have left Australia. Australia allows the supply of animals to countries where there are no laws to protect them from cruelty and where inhumane handling and slaughter are routine. Australian law forbids this type of treatment of animals here and yet the Australian government allows Australian animals to be slaughtered inhumanely overseas.
• Live meat exporters have continued to export animals to countries around the world knowing the inhumane treatment they are subject to in foreign slaughterhouses and knowing these methods are contrary to Australian animal welfare law.
• The live meat export industry supplies the equipment and installations being used to inhumanely slaughter Australian animals overseas
• There is no control over the time Australian animals are in transit. The length of transportation can vary significantly. ‘Trade politics', weather conditions and procedures at the port of unloading can significantly extend the transportation process.
• There is not control over the treatment of Australian animals at disembarkation, the conditions in which they are held in disembarkation facilities, and the way in which they are transferred to slaughterhouses.
• Evidence gathered from importing countries has shown that inhumane slaughter and handling practices, that would be contrary to Australian laws and standards, are common.

Understandings
Animal Aid recognises the significant economic impacts that a change in policy may have in the short-term, both here in Australia and overseas in terms of trade and family livelihood impacts. However, numerous economic reports identify that live exports are undermining Australia's meat processing industry - an industry five times more lucrative than live exports.

To best address these issues Animal Aid encourages all relevant sectors of the community and industry to work together to achieve outcomes that are viable, sustainable and importantly consistent with the values of the Australian community in terms of the humane treatment of Australian animals.

An integrated industry approach to dealing with the issues will create an opportunity for open discussion and will build trust. It will also provide support to those in each sector who want to operate according to Australian laws, standards and community aspirations.

Importantly an integrated industry approach will:

• provide the necessary support to deal with elements within these sectors whose operations and standards are inconsistent with Australian laws, standards and community aspirations,
• formalise strategies for addressing associated issues
• and provide an action plan with associated roles, responsibilities and timelines for implementing the strategies. This will enable the impact of strategies to be formally monitored and reported to the community.

The option
As an alternative to live animal export Animal Aid supports the development of the chilled and frozen meat-only trade. This would mean animals are slaughtered humanely in Australia, processed at Australian facilities and then their meat exported. Ideally these animals will have been farmed through free range and humane farming methods.

References
Animals Australia website and Fact Sheets www.animalsaustralia.org

Animal Aid believes that acquiring any animal should be a measured decision with due consideration given to the potential owners current and future financial ability and level of commitment to ensure adequate care.

Animal Aid endorses adoption from a shelter or reputable rescue service or breeder and strongly opposes the sale of animals through regular pet shops and warehouse outlets. It is a fact that most of the puppies and kittens sold from these businesses are sourced from intensive breeding facilities that use cruel and inhumane practices to generate their ‘product.'

However, Animal Aid does endorse the sale of animals from retail outlets if the animals have been sourced from shelters or legitimate responsible rescue services and were sold desexed, micro chipped with an adequate adoption counselling and information service provided. Animal Aid advise that the sale of any animal must be supported by a post purchase advice and support service.

Animal Aid believes that the euthanasia of rehomeable/adoptable companion animals should only ever be considered as a last resort. All reasonable steps should be taken to assess, repair and rehabilitate treatable conditions and behaviours before euthanasia is considered.

Animal Aid understands that where domestic and companion animals have unmanageable behaviour or are a danger to people and other animals, euthanasia is the responsible action to take. It should only ever be carried out by a Veterinarian as painlessly as possible.

Animal Aid strongly supports and advocates compulsory desexing of cats as a significant and practical strategy to reduce the number of unwanted cats in Australia, and the impact this has on people who work in the animal welfare sector.

Animal Aid recognises the cat over population is predominantly caused by the populations of cats that are not ‘fully owned' or responsibly cared for by our community. These populations of cats include strays, partially owned cats (those that people feed but do not take full responsibility for) and feral cats.

Currently only cats that are adopted through animal shelters and rescue services have to be de-sexed, which accounts for only 22%(according to the Pet Acquisition Study) of cats. Pet shops, breeders and free to good home acquisitions have no such obligation.

Animal Aid recognises there is a high rate of desexing among cats that are registered through their local council. However industry data suggests that only *41% of households register their cats. As a result it is difficult to determine the real level of cat de-sexing, but there is likely to be a far higher rate of undesexed cats among this population of cats than among the registered population of cats.

*DAMIC Benchmarking Survey - found 41% of estimated 616,000 owned cats were registered and that 81.89% were registered for the reduced fee, mostly claimed for desexing ie 82% desexing rate

Compulsory de-sexing of cats will require all stakeholders in the sector to work together to increase de-sexing rates and reduce the number of cats that have to be euthanased annually by animal shelter workers.

Animal Aid will work in partnership with local councils and other agencies to develop and implement strategies that increase desexing rates and reduce the number of unwanted cats in the Australian community.

Animal Aid operates as an open door shelter and has since formation in 1938.

"Open door" or "open admission" means that no restrictions are placed on the intake of animals and no animal in need will ever be turned away.

We do not discriminate against breed, age, temperament, health or perceived adoptability.

Consequently when animals are turned away from selective admission shelters or rescue services for being a certain breed, over a certain age, a certain colour etc they will arrive on our doorstep.

Subsequently not all animals can be adopted and may face humane euthanasia.

Animal Aid will only euthanase as a last resort and this is mainly for behavioural or health reasons such as aggression or severe disease.

Animal Aid commonly perform surgeries and treatments to ensure a positive outcome for an animal in our care. We also have rehabilitation programs for unwanted behaviours.

Puppy farms are businesses that breed popular breeds and cross breeds to supply to pet shops.

Commonly the animals bred from are not "good" representatives of the breeds in terms of health, conformation and temperament. Puppies are bred mainly for the "cute" factor and fluffy is best. This often means that cross breeds are manufactured without regard for temperament and health.

This has enormous implications for the purchasers of these puppies and they are often bought on a whim from a pet shop window with little information and preparation beforehand. In addition the puppies are not sold desexed which enables the cycle to continue.

Puppy Farms are generally located in rural or fringe areas and can house up to hundreds of dogs. The puppys are also often sold for exportation to other countries to satisfy the appetitie for fashionable pets there as well.

Animal Aid does not condone commercial export of any species as the animals welfare involved is not a priority and often the animals involved endure terrifying ordeals and become sick and can ultimately not survive the process.

The breeding dogs at a puppy farm are not treated as pets and are not sufficiently catered for in terms of being able to exhibit natural behaviours, level of comfort and provision of health care.

Animal Aid always recommend that people source their next family member from an animal shelter where the adequate behavioural and medical assessments have been undertaken and life time support for the adopter is provided.

Animal Aid is opposed to uncontrolled and unregulated breeding of companion animals as today this leads to the euthanasia of adoptable animals. Whilst the supply of companion animals (i.e. overpopulation) exceeds the number of appropriate homes available, breeding must be discouraged and significantly reduced.

Animal Aid is opposed to the selective breeding of companion animals which produces changes in bodily form, behaviour or function that is ultimately disadvantageous to the pets health or quality of life.

To reduce this kind of production of companion animals (commonly referred to as 'backyard breeding') Animal Aid believes that only licensed breeders should be allowed to breed animals in premises, and with standards, that comply with a mandatory Code of Practice.

Animals sold as pets should be vaccinated, wormed, microchipped and desexed prior to sale. Statistics and records should mandatorily be kept and made available to the relevant government department and the public at large.