Why using pain relief might not be enough to secure markets

The cattle industry may be better off promoting broad principles about good animal welfare rather than using words like “pain relief” in discussions with international markets.

The cattle industry would be better off promoting broad principles about good animal welfare rather than using words like “pain relief” in discussions with international markets.

That’s the view of Sue McCluskey who holds the unique role of the only person paid by the government to lobby for Australian agriculture and said it was better not to use the word “pain” when talking about practices.

“We talk about pain relief (in agriculture) and how we can use it and how we can use it in different circumstances,” Ms McCluskey said.

“When I take that message globally, I don’t talk about pain relief – it’s words I wouldn’t use.

“I talk about good animal welfare processes, what we do in Australia and why we do things a little bit differently but are still good animal welfare processes.”

While discussions on pain relief between producers could be seen in the light they were meant, Ms McCluskey said the nation’s messaging globally should be different.

“It’s not just globally – consumers when you are talking about pain and animals, are not going to understand as we all do that it is something that goes with production systems,” she said.

“It’s that nuance that we need to get right.”

Ms McCluskey was speaking as part of a session at Beef 2024 at Rockhampton which outlined Better Choices, a voluntary program for producers that aims to lift welfare standards to protect both livestock and the industry.

She said she had gone in to bat for the livestock industry when the UK free trade agreement was being negotiated, where animal welfare practices used in Australia were questioned.

“Of course things like mulesing came up and tail docking, and you try to explain that the way we farm in Australia is different to the way they farm in other countries,” Ms McCluskey said.

“You have to try to explain that there is no ‘one size fits all’ due to different production systems and climatic conditions.”

Ms McCluskey said one of the biggest obstacles for the Australian livestock industry was changing the perception of animal management here.

And that became an issue when negotiating free trade agreements and market access.

“We’ve got negotiators and we’ve got bureaucrats but they don’t know what works in practise and they aren’t able to explain the practical implications,” she said.

Ms McCluskey said another challenge was the strength of the animal welfare lobby groups who have influence over consumers.

“We see it a bit here (in Australia) with some of the animal activists, but it’s not like it is in Europe,” she said.

She said while Europe was just one market, “they set the standards”.

“We all have a role in how they get set but Europe is highly influential .. the consumers are driving what’s happening,” she said.

“And when it comes to animal welfare and when it comes to pain relief .. pain relief ain’t going to cut it in the EU.

“Whatever we think about pain relief, we have also got to think about our markets.”