| January
30, 2006
ANIMAL
ADVOCATES CALL FOR A HALT TO PROPOSED LIVE EXPORT SHIPMENT PENDING FULL
INVESTIGATION OF ROBERTS CLAIMS
Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania
(AACT) is calling for an immediate halt tothe planned shipment of 48,000-50,000
sheep on the “Al Messilah” next month, demanding that Primary
Industries Minister Steve Kons, and Attorney General Judy Jackson, (who
is also responsible for the Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading portfolios),
fully investigate claims made by Roberts Limited that these sheep had
to exported live to the Middle East because there was “no market”
for slaughtering them here in Tasmania.
This follows an advertisement
in “TasCountry” by local processors in Devonport and Longford
seeking sheep for slaughter for “EU, US, Middle East and domestic
markets”. A follow-up article in “The Advocate” last
Saturday quotes Don Munro of Tasman Group as stating that he was “always
looking for more sheep to process in Tasmania”.
Live Export Campaign Co-ordinator
Suzanne Cass said:
“Roberts instigated
a media campaign a couple of months ago claiming that there was no market
for mutton sheep here in Tasmania, or indeed even on the mainland. The
Tasman Group advertisement and “The Advocate” article indicate
that the claim by Roberts that there was no market in Tasmania for those
sheep may not have been accurate. We are asking that Mr Kons and Ms
Jackson do their duty and fully investigate the matter”, Ms Cass
continued. “We believe that the statement by Roberts may be “misleading
or deceptive conduct” as defined in the Trade Practices Act and
preliminary legal advice suggests that we should also call on the Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate the matter. These
animals destined for live shipment have not become “mutton sheep”
overnight, and it is likely there was always a market for processing
them here”.
For further information,
please contact AACT.
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