ONE Nation leader Pauline Hanson must put provide evidence of any unacceptable halal cattle slaughter practices occurring in Australia, for it to be properly addressed, says Queensland Nationals Senator Barry O’Sullivan.
Senator Hanson made a rare appearance at Senate estimates recently where she asked Department of Agriculture and Water resources senior animal welfare officials, if cattle were still alive, when their throats were slit, during halal slaughter.
The Department’s Meat Exports Assistant Secretary Barbara Cooper said all cattle slaughtered according to halal certification standards in Australia are stunned prior to slaughter.
But Senator Hanson issued a statement this week continuing the issue where she said her assertion that inhumane animal slaughter was occurring in Australian abattoirs, because of religious exemptions, was backed up by RSPCA Australia’s position.
It said Senator Hanson was given the “run around” by Department bureaucrats after she raised this hot button topic in estimates “but the RSPCA has advised that more must be done on a federal level to address this”.
“I have been advised by the RSPCA that, to their knowledge, there are at least eight abattoirs that have been granted exemptions by states to slaughter live animals without prior stunning,” she said.
Senator Hanson said the religious exclusion was recently criticised by the Productivity Commission - in its report into agricultural regulation - which stated that it could see ‘no legitimate reason for the un-stunned (religious) slaughter to be excluded from the standards and guidelines development process’.
She also said she supported the RSPCA’s recommendations which included that all halal slaughter be carried out with prior stunning, is strictly limited to domestic demand and all product from un-stunned animals is labelled as such.
But Senator O’Sullivan - who chairs the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs Committee which has oversight of agriculture and animal welfare issues federally - said Senator Hanson needed evidence to back her claims about improper slaughter practices, or risk causing reputational damage in Australia’s beef export markets.
He said animal welfare remained a political issue and Australians were “very, very conscious” of attitudes in our international markets towards food production standards.
“Remember we’re a trade exposed nation so I call on Senator Hanson to be very careful with her language so it does not cause us any reputation damage, from statements or raising questions that are unanswered,” he said.
“But it’s very simple - if she has any evidence that we’re not meeting or exceeding international animal welfare standards with respect to the slaughter of beef, she should provide it to us as quickly as possible.
“We do not and will not accept inhumane animal slaughtering processes and will move on immediately to bring it to an end.
“This country spends hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars annually on animal welfare issues and the development and maintenance of our nation’s reputation in this space so to have a throwaway line that it’s happening - but then not produce or have any evidence - I think is unfortunate, so I encourage Senator Hanson to get the evidence to us as quickly as possible.”
Senator O’Sullivan said no evidence had ever been presented to his committee to support the claims made by Senator Hanson regarding halal slaughter.
“We have some of the highest standards in the world around welfare guidelines for livestock, from birth to slaughter in fact, and we meet and most often exceed international animal welfare standards,” he said.
“Indeed we are the only country that follows their exported live animals through to the point of slaughter, where the Australian government, through the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System, takes a very keen interest in animal welfare issues.
“I just think Senator Hanson needs to put the evidence on the table.
“I’m Chair of the committee that oversights the Department of Agriculture and I’m certain that I speak for the minister in saying that if she was to ever bring evidence to the committee, or the minister, the response would be absolutely swift and uncompromising, if there’s some suggestion that animals, which are slaughtered for halal production, are not stunned before they’re slaughtered.”
A departmental spokesperson said the Department had a role in overseeing slaughter of animals for export – but slaughter of animals for the domestic market was a matter for the states and territories.
The spokesperson said all halal production in Australia required animals to be stunned before slaughter.
“The Australian government, states and territories, farmers and industry implement animal welfare guidelines for livestock from birth to slaughter, that meet or exceed international animal welfare standards,” the spokesperson said.
“Senator Hanson was encouraged to supply any information of non-compliance with the (Australian animal welfare standards) to the department for investigation.”
Senator O’Sullivan said the suggestion that Department officials also gave Senator Hanson the “run around” during the recent estimates hearing, was “simply not accurate”.
He said he had a “zero tolerance” to any filibustering by bureaucratic officials on the committee but it didn’t occur, during Senator Hanson’s appearance.
“I was physically chairing the committee at the time when Senator Hanson examined the Department of Agriculture officials and she knows she could have as much time as she liked with them,” he said.
“Senator Hanson had every opportunity to interrogate these officials at length, ad nauseam.”