This Friday (6th November) the Australian government will decide whether to continue to allow sheep to be slaughtered without stunning in Australia.

Most sheep in Aus are stunned before slaughter, but a few slaughterhouses have already been given permits to kill without stunning. Even one permit would be too many, so to permit even more slaughterhouses to kill without stunning would be a huge step backwards in animal welfare standards in Australia. The fact that slaughtering animals whilst fully conscious causes more suffering is a no brainer. And yet, we have reason to believe that the Aust govt is going to go against the advice of their own scientific reports and permit this cruel practice to continue!

There are reports in both The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald today (2nd November) about the fact that HRH Princess Alia of Jordan has written to Prime Minister Rudd and appealed to him to intervene to ensure Australia does not allow non-stun slaughter. In an opinion piece, also in both papers, the Princess explains that ethical treatment of animals is a key tenet of Islamic teachings and stunning of animals before slaughter is accepted. The Princess Alia has also emphasised that permitting non-stun slaughter in Australia not only is a step backwards for our own protection laws, but it hinders efforts to improve standards in the Middle East.

Please let the decision makers know that you strongly oppose non-stun killing of animals and ask them to completely ban the practice in Australia.

Please personalise your letter and put any of the following points that you may wish to use in your own words:

• It is shocking to learn that killing animals without pre-stunning is still allowed in certain abattoirs in Australia. All animals should be stunned unconscious before having their throats cut.
• That a leading figure in the Middle East has made it clear that if Australia allows non-stunned slaughter it will negate efforts to have stunning broadly accepted in the Middle East.
• Australia should lead the world in the ethical treatment of animals and our political leaders must ban this practice immediately.
• Virtually all of our export markets already accept meat that has come from animals that have been stunned during slaughter, so there is no excuse to continue allowing this unacceptable non-stun slaughter in Australia.

You can send an e-mail to all PIMC Members and Tony Burke by clicking here. Or you can write to each of them individually below.

Tony Burke
Federal Minister for Agriculture
Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au

Ian McDonald
NSW Minister for Primary Industries
macdonald.office@macdonald.minister.nsw.gov.au

Joe Helper
VIC Minister for Agriculture
joe.helper@parliament.vic.gov.au

Tim Mulherin
QLD Minister for Primary Industries
dpi@ministerial.qld.gov.au

Terry Redman
WA Minister for Agriculture
Minister.Redman@dpc.wa.gov.au

Paul Caica
SA Minister for Agriculture
MinAg@sa.gov.au

David Llewellyn
TAS Minister for Primary Industries
David.Llewellyn@dpiw.tas.gov.au

Kon Vatskalis
NT Minister for Primary Industries
Kon.Vatskalis@nt.gov.au

Jon Stanhope
ACT Cheif Minister
stanhope@act.gov.au