Bahrain signs animal welfare pact with Australia

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New trade boost

 

By REBECCA TORR , Posted on » Saturday, November 28, 2009

 

BAHRAIN's position as a key destination for livestock export trade has been

further boosted with the signing of an agreement with Australia.

 

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will also further improve animal

welfare and includes guidelines for the offloading of Australian animals

arriving in the Middle East.

 

The agreement was signed by Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Dr Juma

Al Ka'abi and Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Tony Burke at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) World Food Summit

in Rome.

 

" The Kevin Rudd government is committed to working with international

partners to continuously improve the welfare standards of the animals in the

live export trade, " Mr Burke said in a statement.

 

" The welfare of animals extends past their destination port to their post

arrival and handling and improving these standards is key to our live animal

export trade. " Bahrain is Australia's third largest livestock market in the

Middle East and is valued in Australia at Australian $65.5 million (BD22.8m)

in 2008-2009.

 

Australia has signed similar MoUs with the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar,

Jordan, Egypt, Libya and Eritrea.

 

Bahrain Livestock Company (BLC) chairman Ebrahim Zainal welcomed the

agreement.

 

" The business community always welcomes bilateral agreements because they

pave the way for more business and smooth relations, " he told the GDN.

 

" As the main company handling livestock in Bahrain, we welcome this and we

think it will help trade between the two countries. " Meat and Livestock

Australia (MLA) exports manager for Middle East and Asia Michael Finucan

told the GDN that the MoU was a means of securing animal welfare and was a

support to the export industry.

 

" The MoU demonstrates the strong relationship between the two countries and

on the ground will help the export industry, " he said.

 

" It is signed to make sure there is an agreement in place and it will

strengthen general practice. " However, Mr Finucan said the MoU was unlikely

to make a noticeable difference to services on the ground because animal

welfare was already a priority.

 

More than 99 per cent of animals imported into Bahrain from Australia

arrived fit and healthy, he added.

 

" At MLA, we are doing animal welfare practices. In the abattoir, we make

sure the infrastructure is right, and that at the ports the discharge ramps

that help animals move from the ship to the trucks are in good condition, "

he said.

 

" When trucks come in, we make sure they are in good repair so there are no

slippery surfaces and the ramp is good. " Mr Finucan explained that MLA had

successfully conducted a year-long animal welfare programme in Bahrain,

starting last Eid Al Adha, to ensure live animals were transported in

utility vehicles and not in car boots.

 

" It's been a 100pc success and people are turning up with the right

transport, such as a utility truck, " he said.

 

The campaign has proved so successful that it is now being followed in

Qatar, added Mr Finucan.

becky

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