Saturday, June 18, 2011

Why banning exports of live animals won't work

The Greens (this week) seem to think the best way to stop bad behaviour is to ban it. They want to ban live exports of animals and will use any examples of bad behavoiur to try and lever an even bigger "seachange" in how we see and use meat and grazing animals.

The banning will not work because the greens are being hypocritical over this issue and the public will see through this eventually. The greens are happy to play politics and play with the truth instead of playing credible and cutting conservation; Short term gain, long term pain .

If the only issue was cruelty, the sheep living their last days on a comfortable cruise to the middle east would have more vets up in arms about their situation ; if any of those animals weren't enjoying the best feed they ever had as their teeth give out.
The greens conveniently ignore the nature facts that grazing animals provide an important and absolutely neccessary links in natural regeneration cycles for soils ,carnivores and omnivores .The conservation issue is not "What use but How use" and its time all competent conservationists say so .

If the only issue was cruelty the greens would admit they are also interested in stopping people eating meat , believing as many do ( and are entitled to ) that that is the right thing to do. Truth is the casualty of playing political games with the best intentions. Not right !

The banning will not work and should not work because its an insult to sound leadership. Quickfiz. I clearly do not accept the way some animals are being killed in Indonesia at the moment , but i give my only support to those within the meat and other industries of true care who work to gain compliance by working with people ( Samaritan road practice. If political action is necessary it must be based on the truth - "we do want to insist that our stock to be treated well, but we understand as mature adults that we can't do that without your open cooperation!") .
Sensible parents don't try to force adults or growing adults to do what they disagree with by banning it. Only careless wannabes think they can make people care. The rush to try to impose punitive methods is a sign of desperation, not real confidence in outcomewhich is the stuff or reality politics.
The game playing greens will gain a few quick fix votes out of putting a simple badge on their good intentions . But in the long term, the result will be anything but a better consensus over how to improve animal treatment. More stock taken from poorly managed grasslands ( compared to ours ) and a lot of kudos for very little credible and sustained change . What we are on about HERE

Every Australian should support WMG ( well managed grasslands ) just as we can clearly support WMF ( well managed forests)
Short term gain , long term pain is the current game of certain greens this week - the greens should know better

To ban live exports on the basis of bad behaviour by some should be seen for what it is - a denial of human freedom. Western democracy has always put freedom before control whenever possible . Its always a bit too easy to solve someone else's problem on some distant shore. If the greens were serious about reform they would take out the plank , work with people and take seriously the Gracious way we teach people in the West to work.