Stop Live Export Campaign: Ending Inhumane Handling of Animals

Stop Live Export Campaign aims to improve animal welfare in Australia and stop live animal export trade. This report analyzes the policy environment about animal welfare and live animal export trade in Australia, the power-holder map of Stop Live Exports, the strategy the organization is using to achieve its goals, and its campaign calendars. The organization has achieved a lot towards creating awareness among government agencies, livestock production industries and the general public about the inhumane handling and treatment of live animals when being exported from Australia.

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STOP LIVE EXPORT CAMPAIGN
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Executive Summary
Demand for Australian livestock is very high across the world. This has made live animal export
a big trade in the country. In the process, many livestock exporting companies do not put in place
measures to ensure that live animals are handled and treated appropriately during shipment and
when they are being slaughtered. Many stories have been investigated and shared showing high
level of cruelty that animals are handled and treated with during exportation. This inhuman
handling of animals has prompted several campaigns against live animal export trade. Stop Live
Exports is one of the organizations championing for a stop of live animal cruelty during
exportation. The organization’s main goals are to improve animal welfare in Australia and stop
live animal export trade. This report presents an analysis of the policy environment about animal
welfare and live animal export trade in Australia, the power-holder map of Stop Live Exports,
the strategy the organization is using to achieve its goals, and its campaign calendars. The
organization has achieved a lot towards creating awareness among government agencies,
livestock production industries and the general public about the inhumane handling and
treatment of live animals when being exported from Australia. This has prompted government
agencies to formulate better policies to protect animal welfare. Within these efforts, animal
cruelty and live animal export in the country can be stopped.

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................2
1. Analyzing the policy environment....................................................................................................4
2. Power-holder maps............................................................................................................................7
2.1. Campaign manager...................................................................................................................8
2.2. Government agencies.................................................................................................................8
2.3. Volunteer committee..................................................................................................................8
2.4. Animal welfare advocates..........................................................................................................8
2.5. Former and current meat workers...........................................................................................8
2.6. Concerned farmers....................................................................................................................9
2.7. Community leaders....................................................................................................................9
2.8. Local residents...........................................................................................................................9
2.9. Donors.........................................................................................................................................9
3. Developing the strategy...................................................................................................................10
4. Implementing the plan....................................................................................................................11
4.1. Campaign calendars................................................................................................................11
5. Critical discussion of campaign outcomes.....................................................................................12
References................................................................................................................................................13

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1. Analyzing the policy environment
Stop Live Exports was founded in the mid-1900s. Its original name was People Against
Cruelty in Animal Transport (PACAT). The name was changed in 2008 to Stop Live Exports and
the organization decided to focus on ending live animal exports (StopLiveExports.Org, 2018).
However, the organization also gets involved in other animal welfare and transportation issues.
Its activities are anchored on several Australian Acts and policies related to animal welfare.
Currently, Australia exports about 3 million live animals for slaughter every year. Most
of these animals are cattle and sheep while others are goats, buffalo, camels and deer. These
animals are usually exported in very inhumane conditions and the manner in which they are
slaughtered is also brutal. It is estimated that the throats of about 60% of the exported live
animals get cut when they are still conscious and most of them are subjected to treatment and
handling that is illegal in Australia. This kind of treatment and handling of animals is cruel and
must be condemned and stopped. The exportation of these live animals is generating revenue for
the government and creating millions of direct and direct jobs for people. Therefore it is
important to advocate for proper handling and treatment of animals especially during shipment
and when they are being slaughtered. The main goal of Stop Lives Exports is to stop animal cruel
and suffering especially those that are exported for slaughter.
In Australia, state and territory governments have been given the mandate to formulate
and implement policies aimed at protecting the welfare of animals. The roles and responsibilities
of animal welfare are given to individual animal owners, animal industry groups, community
animal welfare groups, and government agencies (Department of Agriculture and Water
Resources, 2016). However, there are many incidents of live animals being treated and handled
with cruelty in Australia.

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There are several Australian laws governing the cruel handling and treatment of animals
when they are being imported or exported. Some of these laws in different states include: Animal
Welfare Act 1992 (ACT), Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 (QLD), Animal Welfare Act
1993 (TAS), Animal Welfare Act 1999 (NT), Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 (VIC),
Animal Welfare Act 2002 (WA), Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (NSW) and
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985 (SA), among others (Anon., 2018). The main
objective of these anti-cruelty Acts is to prevent cruelty to live animals (Law Society of New
South Wales, 2010). The Acts prohibit infliction of avoidable pain on live animals or failure to
put in place appropriate measures to prevent animals from experiencing pain (Sharman, 2004).
The debate on whether live animal export in Australia can be abolished is never tending.
This is mainly because the trade has been termed as inhuman based on the manner in which these
animals are handled and treated during shipment and the time they are slaughtered (Murray,
2018). This trade has been ongoing for many years now but it seems not to end nor change.
There are many reported cases where animals have been mistreated and mishandled. In 2013,
there was a media campaign by different organizations including Australian Broadcasting
Commission, Prevention for Cruelty to Animals and Animals Australia that exposed live animal
export cruelties that are happening in Australia. The story dubbed “A Bloody Business” was
aired by Four Corners, a top investigative programme in the country, and thousands of people
who viewed the television story were greatly horrified and angered by the manner in which
animals exported from Australian were being abused in Indonesian abattoirs (Munro, 2015).
This, with other stories and incidents, have prompted many campaigns aimed at banning live
animal export from Australia (Coghlan, 2014). The awareness has also made many Australians
to have negative attitude towards exportation of live animals (Sinclair, et al., 2018). It is also

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important to note that there are different forms of animal cruelty including: gross neglect, simple
neglect, animal hoarding, intentional abuse, animal sexual assault, ritualistic abuse and organized
abuse (Mogbo, et al., 2013).
Today, Animals Australia is running a campaign aimed at making consumers aware of
animal welfare, including cruel treatment and handling during shipment (Rodan & Mummery,
2016). They believe that when consumers become aware of this cruelty, their purchase behaviour
will change and are likely to resist buying from traders or abattoirs that are reported to be
mistreating and mishandling animals (ABC News, 2011). Animals are voiceless and the only
way that their welfare can be championed is through human activism. Social media has also
become a very crucial medium of communication that is being used by animal activist
organizations to reach many people, including those in the livestock production industries.
However, some participants in livestock production industries have opposed the activism
referring to them as ignorant. Several studies have shown that sharing animal welfare activism
messages on social media has minimal impact on perceptions of meat eaters (Buddle, et al.,
2018).
Therefore there are many activities ongoing in relation to animal welfare protection in
Australia. Government agencies, private organizations, individuals and activist organizations. If
these campaigns succeed, the number of live animals exported from Australia could reduce
drastically (Wahlquist, 2018). However, this may create new opportunities in meat production
industry as these animals will not start being slaughtered and processed in Australia then exposed
to other countries as canned or packed meat. This will create more jobs for Australian residents
and also generate more revenue.

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2. Power-holder maps
A power-holder map is a very essential tool in advocating for social change. The power
map identifies the people that a group has to influence so as to establish the right techniques for
influencing them, and the people that should steer or lead the influence so as to achieve a specific
goal. Coordination of Stop Live Exports activities is done by Katrina Love, who is a part-time
campaign manager, with the help of a volunteer committee that is responsible for overseeing the
organization’s strategic direction. The general power-holder map of Stop Live Exports is
provided in Figure 1 below. The map comprises of different members of the organization. The
power-holder map is not organized in any hierarchical order because all the groups play very
critical roles towards achieving the goals of the organization.
Figure 1: Stop Live Exports power-holder map
Katrina Love
– Campaign
Manager
Concerned
farmersCommunity
leaders
Animal
welfare
advocates
Exports
Local
residents
Former
meat
workers
Volunteer
committee
Government
agencies
Donors

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2.1. Campaign manager
She is the overall leader of the organization. Her main role is to provide leadership on where
the organization is heading, how to mobilize, allocate and utilize resources appropriately,
facilitate organization’s engagement with government agencies and keep the volunteer team
focused towards the organization’s goals.
2.2. Government agencies
This mainly includes federal, state and territory government agencies that are involved with
protection of animal welfare. Stop Live Exports consults these agencies so as to raise their
concerns for consideration when formulating policies related to animal export trade.
2.3. Volunteer committee
This is the committee responsible for overseeing the organization’s strategic direction. The
committee comprises of selfless, dedicated and committed men, women and youths from all
walks of life who are relentless is seeing live animal export trade stopped.
2.4. Animal welfare advocates
The organization also works closely with other animal welfare activists that support the
campaign of stopping live animal export trade.
2.5. Former and current meat workers
These people give real accounts of their experience with handling and treatment of live
animals during shipment. They help the organization have a better understanding of what really
happens to the animals, what the exporters ignore, if any of the incidents get reported, and
actions taken if any of cruel incidents is reported to relevant agencies. Some of the former meat

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workers are those who lost their jobs due to different reasons, including showing concern for
animal cruelty.
2.6. Concerned farmers
There are many farmers who are concerned about how their animals are treated and handled
after they have sold them. These organization partner with these farmers so that they can voice
their concerns about their dissatisfaction with how their animals are treated especially after they
spent years giving them good care.
2.7. Community leaders
Most of the community leaders are supporting the idea of animals being slaughtered in
Australia and exported as chilled or canned meat. This will create more jobs for local residents
and also boost the economy. The organization partners with these community leaders so as to
educate local residents and urge them to support the campaign of stopping live animal export
trade.
2.8. Local residents
These are ordinary people that are concerned about the welfare of animals. Their number has
grown significantly because of increased campaigns and awareness about fighting against cruelty
of live animals during shipment.
2.9. Donors
Most of the resources that the organization uses for its activities are sourced from donors.
The organization requests people to donate on their website in support for their activities. The
donors are a very important group for the organization.

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Stop Live Exports uses a wide range of methods and cannels to communicate with all groups
in its power-holder map shown in Figure 1 above. These include: workshops, seminars,
meetings, radio, television, brochures, roadshows, magazines, newspapers, articles, blogs, social
media and their website.
3. Developing the strategy
The goals of Stop Export Lives and the various strategies of achieving them are summarized
in the integrated strategy map is given in Figure 2 below:
Figure 2: Stop Live Exports integrated strategy map

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4. Implementing the plan
This being a campaign, the organization plans to implement the strategies outlined in Figure
2 above by creating more awareness about live animal export cruelty. This will help in helping
people and relevant agencies know the facts and probably support their campaign and bring the
trade to an end. Some of the campaign calendars of the organization are provided below
4.1. Campaign calendars
The organization arranges for a series of events throughout the year. These events are usually
aimed at creating awareness about the cruelty in the live animal export trade and how people can
support the campaign. Some of the campaign dates are as follows:
 October 7th: this is an annual campaign called Human Chain. In this event, Stop Live
Exports lead a peaceful, silent protect on Stirling Traffic Bridge Fremantle that is located
at the corner of Canning Highway and Stirling Highway in East Fremantle. The event
takes place from 10:45 am to 12:00 pm.
 First Saturday of every month: this is a monthly campaign organized by the organization
to increase awareness of live animal export cruelty and gain more supporters for the
campaign. The protest takes place at the SE corner of intersection of Armadale Highway
and Albany Highway Armadale, or outside Post Office located on the corner of the
intersection of Tydeman Road and Queen Victoria Street in North Fremantle. The event
takes place from 9:45 am to 11:00 am.
 These are the two main events on the organization’s calendar. However, the organization
continues with its campaign every day.

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5. Critical discussion of campaign outcomes
It is a decade now since Stop Live Exports was established and the organization is still on
its course of seeing animal cruelty in Australia brought to an end. According to Stop Live
Exports, the best way to win this war is by increasing awareness across the divide including
government agencies, livestock production industries and the general public. This way, people
will understand how animals are being treated and handled during exportation and make an
informed decision on whether to support the trade or not. The attitudes of the community
towards animal welfare have a big impact on the policies that governments formulate towards
protecting the welfare of animals (Coleman, 2018). There are many stories and campaigns
showing high level of mishandling and mistreatment of animals exported from Australia. The
livestock production industries have also noticed the changing community values and perception
towards animal welfare and therefore they have to take necessary actions so as to protect their
licenses and maintain their markets. Australian livestock are on very high demand worldwide
mainly because Australia is among the countries that produce high quality animals that are free
from foot-and-mouth diseases. The livestock exporters are issued with licenses and permits of
doing this trade after meeting the requirements set by the Export Control (Animals) Order 2004,
Australian Meat and Livestock Industry Act 1997 and Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System
(Coombs, 2013). There may be need to review these requirements and also improve
implementation systems.
The campaign by Stop Live Exports and other organizations have produced some positive
outcomes so far. There are more people donating towards the campaign, showing up for the
organization’s protests and sharing messages of support. More bills aimed at protecting the
welfare of animals during exportation are now in parliament and several policies have already

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been formulated to protect livestock. The organization is hopeful of more positive outcome with
the ultimate being the stop of live export trade in Australia.
References

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ABC News, 2011.
Farmers, activists face off in live export rally. [Online]
Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-06-18/farmers-activists-face-off-in-live-export-rally/
2763054
[Accessed 2 October 2018].
Anon., 2018.
Animal Welfare Legislation. [Online]
Available at: https://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/livestock-welfare/animal-welfare-
legislation/
[Accessed 2 October 2018].
Buddle, E., Bray, H. & Ankeny, R., 2018. Why would we believe them? Meat consumers’ reactions to
online farm animal welfare activism in Australia.
Communication Research and Practice, 4(3), pp. 246-
260.
Coghlan, S., 2014. Australia and Live Animal Export: Wronging Nonhuman Animals.
Journal of Animal
Ethics, 4(2), pp. 45-60.
Coleman, G., 2018. Public animal welfare discussions and outlooks in Australia.
Animal Frontiers, 8(1),
pp. 14-19.
Coombs, M., 2013.
Live Animal Exports. [Online]
Available at: https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/
Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook44p/AnimalExports
[Accessed October 2018].
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, 2016.
Animal Welfare in Australia. [Online]
Available at: http://www.agriculture.gov.au/animal/welfare/animal-welfare-in-australia#legislation
[Accessed 2 October 2018].
Law Society of New South Wales, 2010.
Animal Law Guide New South Wales, Sydney: New South Wales
Young Lawyers.
Mogbo, T.C; Oduah, F.N; Okeke, J.J; Ufele, A.N & Nwankwo, O.D., 2013. Animal Cruelty: A Review.Journal of Natural Sciences Research, 3(8), pp. 94-98.
Munro, L., 2015. The Live Animal Export Controversy in Australia: A Moral Crusade Made for the Mass
Media.
Social Movement Studies, 14(2), pp. 214-229.
Murray, P., 2018.
Live export is a cruel trade that never changes. [Online]
Available at: https://thewest.com.au/opinion/paul-murray/live-export-is-a-cruel-trade-that-never-
changes-ng-b88805756z
[Accessed 14 April 2018].
Rodan, D. & Mummery, J., 2016. Doing animal welfare activism everyday: questions of identity.
Journal
of Media & Culture Studies, 30(4), pp. 381-396.

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Sharman, K., 2004.
Animal Law in Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://www.animallaw.info/article/animal-law-australia
[Accessed 2 October 2018].
Sinclair, M., Derkley, T., Fryer, C. & Phillips, C., 2018. Australian Public Opinions Regarding the Live
Export Trade before and after an Animal Welfare Media Exposé.
Animals, 8(7), pp. 106-116.
StopLiveExports.Org, 2018.
About Stop Live Exports. [Online]
Available at: https://www.stopliveexports.org/stop-live-exports
[Accessed 2 October 2018].
Wahlquist, C., 2018.
Live exports could be dramatically reduced if animal cruelty case succeeds. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/apr/16/live-exports-could-be-
dramatically-reduced-if-animal-cruelty-case-succeeds
[Accessed 2 October 2018].