Harsher penalties for live exporters as Agriculture Minister David Littleproud warns dodgy operators
DODGY live exporters will face a raft of hefty penalties under a Turnbull Government plan, after shocking video exposed animal cruelty on sheep exports to the Middle East.
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DODGY live exporters will face new multimillion-dollar fines and jail terms of up to 10 years under a Turnbull Government crackdown after “shocking” footage exposed animal cruelty on sheep exports to the Middle East.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud is expected to announce the new fines shortly.
News Corp has confirmed the crackdown will include fines in the millions for directors of live export companies where it is found they knew of wrongdoing and failed to act to prevent animal cruelty.
MORE: David Littleproud ‘open’ to ban on live exports
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Directors would also face up to ten years’ jail time.
A spokesman for the Minister said it would bring the penalties in line with big fines in other industries.
“If you do the wrong thing, you’re going to swing,” Mr Littleproud told Sky News this morning.
Labor Agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon questioned whether the crackdown would have an impact.
“We will look at what the Government proposes but just increasing penalties which have historically never been imposed will achieve nothing,” he told News Corp.
The sheep industry has been under immense pressure after shocking footage emerged last month of animals dying on a voyage to the Middle East in 2016.
Mr Littleproud indicated further measures to clean up the live sheep trade would be announced in coming weeks.
The government is waiting for the results of a snap inquiry it called after the footage was released.
The inquiry is due to report in two weeks.
Mr Littleproud has also slapped down a declaration by federal Labor yesterday that it would work with industry to phase out live sheep exports over ten years if it won government at the next election.
“This is just Labor using politics, making rash, reckless decisions, without waiting for evidence,” Mr Littleproud said.
Senior government minister Mathias Cormann also declared Labor’s plan “populist”, saying live sheep exports was the latest issue Mr Shorten had changed his mind on.
“Either he was too weak to hold to the position that he knows to be right or he’s just a typically fickle, typically wibble-wobble jelly on a plate,” Senator Cormann told Sky News.
Senator Cormann said if Australia pulled out of the trade, other countries with lesser animal welfare standards were likely to meet growing international demand.
The cattle industry has also attacked the plan.
Julia Gillard suspended live cattle exports in 2011, and Cattle Council president Howard Smith says the same fate shouldn’t happen to the sheep industry.
“Cattle Council will continue to advocate for improvements to welfare outcomes for livestock exported from Australia, a knee-jerk reaction is not the answer” he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop told reporters in Queensland this morning the government’s response would not be a “knee jerk reaction”