Acceptable cruelty for seven months?

 Acceptable cruelty for seven months? - Activists allow cruelty to suit agenda

by Sherrill Stivano

 

 

It appears that further acts of cruelty in one of our live export markets (this time Egypt) have been identified. They are unspeakable and terrible and I find it hard to believe humans are capable of such cruelty. I also find it extremely appalling that some of this footage was shot in October 2012 and some in April 2013.

Photo sourced from The Land

 

 

I am not going to condone this in any shape or form. I do not care if they are Australian animals or Egyptian or Somali. All animals of every nationality deserve to be treated with the highest level of animal welfare including at the point of slaughter. I would to know the following however:

• 1. Why are we only hearing about it now?
• 2. Why when you witness these terrible acts, and take the time to film them (without stepping in at any point to suggest it is wrong) do you then not immediately do anything?
• 3. Why do you not immediately take the footage to the authorities so it can be acted upon straight away?
• 4. How can you sit on the footage knowing full well that more of the same could be occurring in the following months, more animals suffering unnecessarily?
• 5. Surely by reporting such an incident in October 2012 there is a good chance the second incident April 2013 would not have occurred?

 
I give you the following reasons for being able to film such cruelty and wait 7 months before approaching authorities………….

• 1. We have an election coming up and the likes of Animals Australia want to bring Live Export into the forefront as an election issue especially since both parties have said they will not ban it permanently.
• 2. The general public understand that industry has been very proactive and addressed many issues in our Live Export markets. They also understand that by Australia being present in these markets and educating them, introducing technologies and improving infrastructure we make a difference not only to the welfare of Australian animals, but all animals. Animal activists want to shock people into changing their beliefs. They give the impression this happens everywhere all the time. They receive donations to assist them in their advertising campaigns. All money that does not directly reach or benefit a single animal and its welfare as they are not about animal welfare, but rather animal rights which are two totally different things.
• 3. And finally the ultimate agenda held by Animals Australia………..veganism for all. They are setting about to change the consumers views through scaremongering and misinformation in all livestock industries, from dairy to pork to chicken to beef to sheep.

 
I am not asking you to condone the cruelty or even to support Live Exports, but I am asking you to think about how those who film these acts are benefiting from the very same cruel acts. We have seen awards, monetary gain for groups and publicity all off the back of the cruelty filmed in the past. If they were not intent on gaining something they would be reporting it immediately, not 7 months later
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Unpopular Causes

A very well written article was brought to my attention today from a very surprising source. It appears that both sex workers and farmers are unpopular causes.

In her blog in the article, The sex work activist at thelive export rally: an explanation, “delectable_detriment”” relates her experience of attending a rally in support of farmers, specifically farmers dependent upon live exports and the reaction from those d_d usually associates with whom she refers as 'bleeding heart lefties'.   

 Upset, and to be honest, stunned. You see, the majority of people I have relationships with on Twitter are 'bleeding heart lefties', drawn together by our shared passion for social justice. Not all of them vote 'left', mind you. Many of them are conservative voters. But they mostly subscribe to small-L liberal social values, including compassion and understanding for marginalised communities like refugees, sex workers, Indigenous peoples, the queer community, people living with HIV, etc. They fight for the rights of these various groups to be heard, especially in the political arena, on the basis that EVERYONE deserves to be involved in policy that will ultimately affect their lives and/or livelihoods, no matter how 'unpopular' that group is with voters.

Everyone, it seems, except farmers.

I found d_d’s article to very insightful. The parallels may not at first be apparent but she highlights a few including Four Corners expose of the two industries.

It followed exactly the same formula - avoid facts and stakeholders, show emotive imagery of worst case scenario - and had exactly the same results. Moral outrage ensued. The public peeked into a world they have NO understanding of, found it distasteful and screamed BAN IT.

On both issues, the voices of primary stakeholders are being actively silenced. On both issues, people with precisely ZERO knowledge of the respective industries are driving policy changes and 'moral outrage' is driving community support. And on both issues, people whose personal belief systems are offended by the subject matter are flatly refusing to even ACKNOWLEDGE the other side of the story, let alone listen to it.

Go follow the link, I hope you are pleasantly surprised.