Ag Minister: Australia needs to improve its animal welfare image

There’s a general perception that Australia’s animal welfare practices aren’t up to the standards in Europe, according to Ag Minister Murray Watt.

Trade deals with Europe and the United Kingdom are on track, while dialogue with the Chinese on resolving longstanding trade disputes is progressing.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt was among a delegation of parliamentarians to travel to Europe over the past week to speed-up the implementation of the multi-billion dollar free-trade agreements with the UK and EU.

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt returned from Europe on Monday where he spent almost a week reassuring governments and industry of Australia’s high animal welfare and sustainability standards. Picture: Liam Kidston

Minister Watt told The Weekly Times that while the purpose of the trip was to advance the two trade deals – with the UK agreement needing ratification and the EU deal still some months off being finalised – it was also to correct misconceptions about sustainability and animal welfare practices on Australian farms.

“People on the other side of the world don’t necessarily know what’s happening on Australian farms and what we’re doing to lift standards,” he said.

“This was an opportunity to explain what we do. The other key point I was making was that we can’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to animal welfare or sustainability. We have different climates requiring different production methods.

“Some of the animal welfare requirements they have in Europe make no sense in Australia, such as the length of time animals can spend on concrete in sheds or regulations around minimum daylight hours. We have the opposite requirement because we need to ensure our animals get enough shade.”

Minister Watt said the trip brought home the need for Australia to better explain itself to the world how animals were treated and the environment considered.

“Our trade deals are increasingly relying on being able to demonstrate that we take these issues seriously,” he said. “There’s a general perception that Australia’s sustainability and animal welfare standards aren’t as high as what happens in Europe.”

China's Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen, the deputy representative on international trade negotiations, is due to meet with a senior Australian trade minister next month Picture: Juan Mabromata/AFP

Meanwhile, a virtual meeting between Australia’s and China’s trade ministers is due to take place “soon”, according to a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman.

“The Australian Government has been clear that we want to see all trade impediments, including those covered by our World Trade Organisation disputes, removed.

“We are pursuing dialogue to resolve these trade impediments, consistent with our national interest. In the meantime, we continue to pursue our barley and wine cases at the WTO,” the spokeswoman said.

A meeting between Assistant Trade Minister Stuart Ayres and his Chinese counterpart Wang Shouwen at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last week is seen as a welcome step in stabilising bilateral relations between the two nations, but progress mending the strained relationship is expected to take some time.