Media Release Media Release Media Release

15 August, 2006

ROBERTS IN COURT ON ANIMAL WELFARE CHARGES

Live Export and livestock agents Roberts Limited will be facing the courts again tomorrow (Wednesday August 16) on charges under Section 7, the “Mismanagement” provisions of the Animal Welfare Act. Both Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania (AACT) and Live Export Shame Tasmania have questioned the degree of severity of the charges, believing that Roberts should have been charged under Section 8, the “Cruelty” provisions.

Spokesperson for AACT, Yvette Watt said:

“As we understand it, the charges relate to animals being left at the Bridgewater saleyard, in the height of summer, without food or water. An observer attended the saleyard on a Sunday in January and found two pens of calves left in 41 degree heat without water. As far as we are concerned, that is far more than ‘mismanagement’, it is manifest cruelty”,

Live Export Shame’s Suzanne Cass said:

“The observer who saw the animals was quite distressed by the state they were in. We are informed that in one of the pens, even if the water container had been full, the animals were too small to have reached it anyway. Our observer, who visits the saleyard regularly, claims never to have seen food there, despite the fact that animals can be left there for some days.

“Our advice is that Tasmania is the only state to have ‘mismanagement’ provisions contained in its Animal Welfare Act, and the penalties are, of course, substantially less than those provided for in Section 8, the ‘Cruelty’ provisions”.

Live Export Shame Tasmania and AACT continue to campaign vigorously against the activities of Roberts Limited in the live export trade, and both groups have unsuccessfully sought to meet with Primary Industries Minister David Llewellyn on the matter, Both will also seek a meeting with the incoming CEO of Roberts, John Mahon.

“We are of course disappointed with Dr Llewellyn’s attitude, because claiming that live exports continue under the control of Federal legislation is just not good enough, given the breaches to the Animal Welfare Act we witnessed at the loading of the “Al Messilah” last February”, continued Ms Cass. “The Western Australian government is currently prosecuting an exporter and two of its directors under State Animal Welfare legislation, and Dr Llewellyn – and Roberts - should be aware of that”.

Both groups intend to be present at the Hobart Magistrates Court on Wednesday, because of concerns that the charges do not reflect the seriousness of Roberts’ conduct, and even if there is a guilty verdict, the punishment will not fit the crime. Roberts was successfully prosecuted, along with its livestock manager Christopher Taylor, for cruelty in 2002, and reportedly in 1997 as well.

For further information, please contact:
Suzanne Cass, Live Export Shame Tasmania, phone 0414 726 035
Yvette Watt, Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania, phone 0408 979 359