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INFORMATION BRIEF

Role of the Live Export Program at Eid al Adha

The Live Export Program (LEP) is jointly funded and managed by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA)
and LiveCorp.

The core focus of the Program is to improve animal welfare and exporter capabilities in approved
export supply chains. It has no regulatory role under the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Scheme
(ESCAS). The Program has a number of distinct features.

Middle East and Africa
Australia's livestock export industry is committed to working with the many cultures across the
Middle East to implement programs that improve the welfare of Australian animals exported to the
region. This is achieved by providing training and education to stockmen, veterinarians and livestock
handlers and providing advice on infrastructure requirements that meet our standards.

Asia
The Australian livestock export industry provides animal welfare programs and support to Asian
markets. These include animal handling workshops, training and education, livestock management
advice, and breeding expertise.

Industry capabilities
The Australian livestock export industry operates under stringent government regulation. The
Livestock Export Program has dedicated resources to assist industry meet the regulatory
requirements and improve efficiencies in its ability to supply livestock to overseas countries.

Research and development
The Livestock Export Program maintains a strong commitment to research and implementing
outcomes that improve animal welfare. The program aims for excellence in animal welfare and
management throughout the supply chain. It is important that all industry standards are founded on
rigorous scientific evidence. Research and development is funded through MLA and LiveCorp and is
matched with government contributions.

The LEP Eid al Adha (Middle East)/Korban (South East Asia) Program
Exporters activities in market for Eid/Korban are supported by resources from the Livestock Export
Program (LEP). These resources are tailored to the particular needs of markets and customers and
reflect the experience of previous years.

The objective for this year is to work with Australian exporters, and their supply chain partners to
build on last years initiatives and to deliver improved and more effective systems that meet ESCAS
requirements whilst taking into consideration previous years experiences and the expectations of
Australian and overseas stakeholders. The focus will again be to provide greater assistance in the
month leading up to Eid/Korban to help build livestock handling systems and management
structures. This will include but not be limited to planning, implementing and testing systems that
can cope with Eid/Korban; training both management and staff on ESCAS requirements and
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Eid/Korban systems and drafting consistent lines of livestock for public sales. The LEP will also assist
exporters by having people on the ground during Eid/Korban to provide operational advice and
support in some facilities processing Australian livestock.

The presence of LEP consultants in Kuwait during Eid
Two consultants have been in market over the course of the last month preparing supply chains in
cooperation with two exporters to Kuwait and their customers.

During Eid these resources will be stationed across three ESCAS approved slaughter facilities to assist
importers maintain ESCAS compliance. Systems have been constructed to allow for the public to still
select sheep for slaughter with minimal handling. After selection sheep walk to point of slaughter
through quarantined walkways and then slaughtered on tables by trained slaughterman. There is no
scope for sheep to leave these facilities once selected for slaughter.

For the first time, and an important development in the LEP Eid Program, a carcass only sales policy
is being trialled at one facility. Customers will only be able to purchase carcass from the abattoir,
preventing any contact with livestock by the general public.

The focus of the consultants now is on getting the systems right for the intense 3 day period of sales
and slaughter of livestock. This involves direct negotiation and support to a number of abattoir
facilities that will process almost 100,000 Australian sheep. Support includes crowd control
measures to separate livestock from the general public. This is a challenging period and the focus is
on ensuring systems stand the test of acute public demand in a limited period.

The reporting of alleged breaches of ESCAS in Kuwait by LEP in market consultants
The LEP practice in relation to suspected Australian livestock outside ESCAS approved supply chains
is to report any such suspicions to exporters in the market and provide the exporters to that market
seven (7) days to investigate whether the livestock are theirs and to self-report a breach to the
Department of Agriculture (DoA) if the evidence confirms exporter origin.

In the event that no exporter is able to claim responsibility for the livestock within that period, the
practice is to report the incident directly to the Department of Agriculture.

This practice has been followed.


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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are LEP consultants inspectors of ESCAS?

LEP consultants do not have a regulatory/inspector role in ESCAS.

The task of consultants is to support exporters and their customers in a variety of ways including:-

- Undertaking gap analysis of facilities to determine compliance with the ESCAS welfare
requirements and provide recommendations for improvements
- Provide in market training and support on animal welfare including handling, livestock
management and slaughtering
- During Eid, work with approved abattoirs to implement special livestock management
systems

As outlined, if an LEP consultant sees potential breaches of ESCAS, this information is provided to
exporters in the market who have responsibility under ESCAS for reporting such matters to the
Department of Agriculture and isolating and fixing any supply chain breakdowns in cooperation with
their supply chains partners.

But what about the sheep in the market in Kuwait. Consultants are a short distance away and
have done nothing?

The fate of the sheep removed from approved supply chains rests heavily on all exporters and those
working in market to ensure Australia meets its responsibilities to animal welfare.

To suggest that consultants have done nothing is incorrect and fails to understand their
responsibilities.

Reports of alleged breaches of ESCAS were reported to exporters on the day they were sighted as is
LEP practice. There were no other measures the consultants could take in the circumstances at the
unapproved market place. Attempting to remove livestock some 500 was logistically impossible
and would have put the consultants in personal danger.

Livestock remain the responsibility of exporters who are required to work with the customers to
ensure that livestock are handled, treated and slaughtered in limited approved supply chains.

The LEP consultants are working in facilities to ensure the systems in place to manage some 100,000
Australian sheep for the Eid period work effectively and efficiently against our welfare requirements.

Arent MLA and LiveCorp based in Kuwait?

MLA and LiveCorp do not have an office in Kuwait and the LEP consultants are in market only
temporarily to support Eid requirements.

Surely the Australian industry needs to intervene to stop the brutality?

We would all like to end the mistreatment and brutality of animals. Such behaviour has no place
anywhere, least of all in the livestock trade and it beggars belief that we continue to see people treat
animals so cruelly, whether here in Australia or overseas.

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Australia has reached out to overseas markets within the limited scope of its legal powers and the
reasonable responsibility of Australian exporters. Thats why Australian exporters are required to
oversee the welfare of Australian livestock to point of slaughter. Beyond this, individual
governments must take responsibility for their commitments to international animal welfare
standards. - not just in being a signatory to the OIE, but by implementing and overseeing their
commitments on the ground.

The LEP does what it can by supporting exporters and customers with on the ground training and
support. The reach is limited to supply chains that are approved for Australian livestock.

Millions of animals will be slaughtered over the Eid/Korban period including livestock from Africa,
Europe and South America. Australian livestock will only make up a small percentage of these
numbers but despite this, Australian exporters have been actively working in market for many weeks
preparing systems to manage the challenges of this high pressure, high demand period for livestock.
This work has involved forging animal management and sales systems that respect the practice of
religious traditions while ensuring good welfare practices and outcomes for Australian livestock.

No other country in the world does anything similar, and indeed, anything at all. We believe these
measures are even unique to Australia where Eid/Korban is also celebrated.