The Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) this week announced its seizure of over 700,000 chickens to safeguard their welfare at six broiler farms located in Northern Victoria, South West Victoria and West Gippsland. According to the DPI, the Melbourne-based company, Tip-Top Poultry, appeared to be failing to feed its chickens. It was believed the company had been experiencing a severe financial crisis and was no longer able to sufficiently afford to feed its livestock. Dr Hugh Millar,... ...Read more »

Victoria is Australia’s leading agricultural exporter, according to its Department of Primary Industries report released this week for the 12 months financial year ending 30 June 2011. Over the 12 months period ending 30 June 2011, Victoria accounted for 28 per cent of Australia’s total food and fibre exports, while Victorian food exports were valued at AUD $6.3 billion, an increase of AUD $839 million (15 per cent) from the previous financial year. This financial year saw export increases in... ...Read more »

Australia’s agricultural minister Senator Joe Ludwig, is to lead a delegation to the Middle East. The delegation will meet next week with governments and importers to determine a new regulatory framework that seeks to improve welfare for livestock exported from Australia, to meet international standards. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar make up significant markets for livestock exports for Australia and new supply chain assurance frameworks are to apply to a number of these markets from... ...Read more »

Latest figures from Australia’s Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry show that the volume of beef exported to Japan during 2011 was the lowest since 2003. Japan is the largest destination of Australian beef exports. Australia sent 30,202 tonnes of beef to Japan in December 2011, taking the annual total to 342,186 tonnes. This was four per cent less than the amount exported in 2010. According to Meat & Livestock Australia, Australian beef exports have been impacted by the... ...Read more »

The Australian Government’s Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has defended itself following media reports on a US ban on certain uses of a class of antibiotic in livestock. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an order on 4 January 2012 prohibiting certain uses of the cephalosporin class of antimicrobial drugs in cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys effective 5 April 2012. Antibiotic use in animals is a potential problem for human medicine because antibiotic resistance... ...Read more »

A commodities report released today by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), forecasts the value of farm exports will rise by around 6 per cent to A$34.5 billion in 2011–12, reflecting expected higher exports and relatively favourable agricultural prices. ABARES forecasts the demand for agricultural products in the Asian region is expected to remain strong, with more than 60 per cent of Australia’s farm exports to the Asian region in 2010–11. ABARES... ...Read more »

The Australian Government’s Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC) has ruled that ritual slaughter methods will continue to be exempt from any “stunning” requirements. The decision came at the end of last week (28 October 2011) when the PIMC considered the issue in Melbourne at its 21st meeting. Jewish and Muslim dietary laws do not allow for animals to be stunned before application of the knife by the slaughterer. In respect of this, a number of abattoirs where Kosher slaughter or Halal... ...Read more »

The Australian live cattle export industry will receive Australian Government assistance to recover from the temporary suspension of live cattle to Indonesia. Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, said that Northern Australian pastoralists affected by the suspension will be able to access additional working capital loans of up to $300,000 with subsidized interest rates. Pastoralists will also be eligible for grants of up to $5,500 for financial advice and... ...Read more »

A report by the ABC’s Four Corners has sparked renewed outrage over the export of live Australian cattle to parts of the world without animal welfare protections. The report, which features evidence from Animals Australia of cattle being tortured in an Indonesian abbatoir, and other cattle suffering prolonged deaths from cut throats, prompted Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig today to suspend export to the three abbatoirs in question. The government has also appointed an independent reviewer... ...Read more »

CSIRO is researching ways to improve the welfare of livestock by developing scientific methods for assessing how animals ‘feel’ in response to common management practices, with the aim of reducing stress and pain in livestock, and increasing wellbeing and productivity. The research, partly funded by Meat and Livestock Australia, will use cognitive principles based on human psychological theories, to assess animal emotions. “With increased public concern about the welfare of animals,... ...Read more »