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Israel hitch to live animal trade
30 Oct 2003
Australia's $60 million-a-year live animal trade to Israel is under threat, with Israel's Agriculture Minister given 60 days by the Israeli Supreme Court to show why Australian stock should not be banned. The action follows animal cruelty proceedings which were initiated by the group Anonymous for Animal Rights in February 2003.
On October 29, a group spokesman said Australia's live export industry is fast losing credibility and the court ruling is a further blow to it.
However, Australian Conservation Minister, Ian MacDonald, representing Agriculture Minister Warren Truss, said the court if far from making its final judgment. There have been 314 live shipments this year, he said, and there has only been a problem with one of them, which had nothing to do with Australian authorities.
Livecorp, livestock industry's main organisation, has not been officially informed of the Israeli court proceedings but conceded that any ban or limitation on the trade would be detrimental.
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