AUSTRALIAN LIVE ANIMAL EXPORT: A COMPARATIVE EXAMINATION OF VIABLE ALTERNATIVES

Abstract

The Australian live animal export trade has long been under scrutiny due to repeated public outcries over the animal welfare abuses that are seemingly intrinsic to the trade. This article examines the regulatory regimes of Australia’s international competitors and asks whether Australian authorities should adopt their solutions to the problem of protecting the welfare of animals who are exported live to other nations. The article begins by providing an overview of the current Australian regulatory framework in Part II. Parts III and IV discuss the approaches taken by two of Australia’s international competitors in the animal export trade, New Zealand and Brazil. Part V examines the merits of a proposed international treaty governing animal welfare worldwide and asks whether such an umbrella treaty can create a more focused global standard for both live animal export and import nations. It concludes that Australia must follow the lead of Brazil and New Zealand by crafting a new regime that protects the welfare of export animals, while simultaneously sponsoring the creation of a multilateral animal welfare treaty.