12th Dec 2013, 12:32 PM – Senate Motions - Live Animal Exports - Stop export until investigations completed

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Rachel Siewert also on behalf of Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, which means it was rejected. The motion related to live animal export and was:

That the Senate-

(a) acknowledges:

(i) the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System was introduced under the Export Control Act 1982 to provide minimum standards for the welfare of Australian livestock in importing countries,

(ii) that exporters who disregard or deliberately flout the standards set under this system should be met with the full force of the law,

(iii) That the Department of Agriculture is currently investigating 14 complaints regarding breaches of these standards,

(iv) That the export company Livestock Shipping Services is implicated in three of these complaints regarding the sale and cruel slaughter of livestock outside approved supply chains, and

(v) the Maysora, a ship operated by Livestock Shipping Services, has docked in the Fremantle Port; and

(b) calls on the Government to prevent Livestock Shipping Services from exporting any further animals from Australia until investigations on their previous activities have been completed.(Learn more about the events that gave rise to this motion on Lateline.)