Meat from cows kept in harsh prerequisites banned within the UK will be imported under the exchange deal struck with Australia, despite authorities promises to toughen animal welfare after Brexit.
Cattle are transported for as a lot as 48 hours without eating and drinking in parts of Australia, its High Commissioner has admitted – and folks animals are included within the deal hailed by Boris Johnson as a huge prize from leaving the EU.
The journeys are extra than three instances the limit of 14 hours without stopping for food and water on this nation, a figure expected to be decrease to 10.5 hours under post-Brexit adjustments.
Campaigners have accused ministers of quietly slashing requirements – at the same time as a Kept Animals Bill is supposed to complete “excessively long journeys” sooner than animals are slaughtered.
Compassion in World Farming called the bolt “thoroughly unacceptable”, whereas the RSPCA warned it ready the ground for additional exchange deals that can permit “unhappy animal welfare”.
Australia has raised eyebrows by arguing its Brahman cattle are extra “sturdy” than cows within the UK and attributable to this fact ready to take care of 48-hour journeys and not utilizing a ruin.
George Brandis, the High Commissioner, additionally informed MPs the “gigantic majority” of its cows live in much less distant areas from which stride instances are unprecedented shorter.
But Barry Gardiner, a member of the Commons atmosphere committee which is investigating the deal, acknowledged: “We now not ship kids up chimneys on this nation.
Australia argues its Brahman cattle are extra ’sturdy’ than UK cows – and can endure 48-hour journeys
(Getty)
“It used to be never within the latter years very normal – however we assign a law in region to discontinue it. The real fact it does not happen slightly incessantly does not mean there must level-headed not be a law in region to discontinue it.”
The committee has questioned other animal welfare practices in Australia, along side hot branding, painful cutting of sheep (mulesing) and the shortcoming of CCTV in slaughterhouses to trap rule-breakers.
But, on the latter, Mr Brandis insisted: “You will get that Australian farmers are very law-abiding folks. They enact not want to be supervised by CCTV to obey the law.”
James West, senior protection manager at Compassion in World Farming, warned British farmers would face opponents from meat produced through “inhumane farming requirements”.
“We must level-headed not be undermining enhancements in UK requirements by importing products from animals that have suffered unprecedented extra somewhere else,” he informed The Fair.
George Brandis says unlike UK cows, cattle in Australia are bred for dry prerequisites
(Reuters/David Gray)
David Bowles, of the RSPCA, acknowledged: “The UK has promised to lead the world on animal welfare – however that is pretty telling future exchange partners that unhappy animal welfare just will not be any obstacle to a exchange deal.
“With the UK authorities making an are attempting to get to ticket exchange deals as swiftly as that you just would possibly well maybe additionally judge, we’re likely to realize aid under stress to decrease requirements or let in decrease quality products.”
The campaigners pointed to the promise made on the unveiling of the Kept Animals Bill, to implement “a manifesto commitment to complete excessively long journeys for slaughter and fattening”.
It claimed: “Now we have left the EU, we have the chance to survey at more than just a few the explicit technique to raised offer protection to animal welfare all over transport.”
Farmers’ leaders have already attacked the Australian exchange deal for breaking a promise to present protection to them from more inexpensive imports for 15 years.
Australian farmers are effectively being handed tariff-free catch admission to to the UK market from day one, as a lot as a “cap” on gross sales that is 60 instances the hot level of imported crimson meat.
The Division for Surroundings, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been requested to answer to the criticism of the absence of animal welfare rules within the exchange deal.
Mr Brandis used to be quizzed on 48-hour transportation by the atmosphere committee, conceding it is “the utmost” allowed, however arguing most stride are “just a few immediate hours”.
“Very incessantly ever within the a ways north of Australia, in a ways north Queensland and within the Northern Territory, you would possibly well maybe additionally catch distances appreciate that,” the High Commissioner acknowledged.
He added: “The cattle there are Brahman cattle, which is a truly varied breed from the form you’ve got within the UK. They’re bred for dry prerequisites and they also’re very sturdy beasts.
“Please allow us to not use this 48-hour figure, attributable to it is very uncommon. It applies most productive to cattle of a form, durability and robustness that you just enact not have within the UK. It is miles misleading to mediate that is an Australian odd.”