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Govt should support creation of more abattoirs: Greens

A proposed abattoir in Darwin which would crate almost 300 jobs has been backed by Australia’s largest cattle company and the Australian Greens party.

If the abattoir goes ahead, it will create jobs for the region, alleviate animal cruelty and reduce live exports, according to the Greens, who have called on the federal government to support the development.

“The Gillard government should get behind a new Darwin abattoir proposed by the Australian Agricultural Company which is estimated to create 270 jobs,” Greens Senator and animal welfare spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said.

“By growing the Australian meat processing industry we can create an alternative to live exports as well as thousands of jobs.

The horrible treatment of animals exported live to Indonesia, exposed on the ABC’s Four Corners program, sparked national outcry and led to Gillard banning the practise until improvements could be made.

The Greens want live export banned, believing that sending the animals overseas is damaging to the local industry.

“Australian Bureau of Statistics data tracks the decline in the number of meat processing jobs in Australia, from between 40,000 to 48,000 workers in the 1970s to around 32,000 workers in 2009,” Rhiannon said.

“There were 475 abattoirs in Australia at the end of the 1970s, dropping to 315 abattoirs by 1995/96.

“The Greens will continue our campaign to ban live animal exports which would not only end the cruel suffering of animals, but see abattoirs re-opened, especially in northern Australia.

In April a departmental study found that the Western Australian economy would be significantly impacted if the state stopped live export of sheep.

The study by the Department of Agriculture and Food developed a sheep value supply chain model based on the three major sectors of the state: production, processing/wholesale and retailing/export.

The business earnings of almost 4200 businesses depend heavily on live exports to maintain their earning total of almost $160 million.

Do you support more local abattoirs and less live export?

Image: The ABC

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