As Indonesia’s per capita income increases there has been increased domestic demand for imported livestock, including from Australia, thanks to its quality, relatively affordable price and availability at the supermarket.
The Indonesian government is hoping to achieve beef self-sufficiency by 2014. To this end, it has launched various programs to assist small farmers and imposed a tariff (which is currently low at 5 per cent and heading to zero under some Free Trade Agreements such as the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA in 2020) and some non-tariff barriers. This self-sufficiency program may explain why Australia sends live animals to Indonesia instead of beef. The Indonesian government has set the maximum weight of imported live cattle at 350 kilograms to ensure Indonesia receives cattle that will have value added in Indonesia. This has led to the development of the feedlotting business in Indonesia, which receives supplies of feedlot cattle from Australia. The Australian government, through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), has funded several programs to review the effectiveness of the Indonesian government’s programs and investigate the supply chain in the beef market. A complete ban on live cattle exports may lead to these Australian investments in research and development in Indonesia losing all value.
If banning exports is not preferable, working with the Indonesian government to ensure animal welfare might be. Many suggest the ban of Halal slaughtering. But it is not Halal requirements that result in the inhumane treatment of animals. Halal defines what is lawful according to Islamic law including acceptable food, slaughtering procedures, and how Muslims get the money they use to purchase food. Most abattoirs in Indonesia meet Halal requirements. They must apply for the Halal certificate from The Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia or MUI) and obtain a Veterinary Control Number (Nomor Kontrol Veteriner) from Government Livestock services (Dinas Peternakan) under the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).
What has been debated is whether stunning must be performed before cutting. This is practised in most Halal abattoirs in Australia and complies with the Australian standard. As stated by Mohamed El-Mouelhy, the chairman of Halal Certification Authority Australia, stunning is completely acceptable under Halal; it is done in Australia and throughout Europe, and Indonesia willingly accepts Halal meat products from overseas abattoirs known to use stun guns. In Indonesia, the MUI allows slaughterhouses to stun the animals before cutting as well as cutting without stunning. To avoid similar cases in the future, perhaps the MUI should regulate to ensure that stunning must be conducted before cutting. Alternatively, if stunning is not conducted before the cutting, there has to be a clear guideline to ensure that the animals die right away.
This episode clearly demonstrates the failure of the Indonesian livestock services system, in particular the monitoring and supervision roles of the MUI and MoA. More regular and stringent monitoring and inspection practices need to be implemented. The lack of monitoring of Halal practises in Indonesia has been a concern of Muslim Indonesians for a long time. Muslim Indonesians are equally as upset as Australians over the issue. Most Muslim Indonesians feel that the inhumane treatment of animals is not in keeping with the spirit of Islam generally, or Halal. They feel their basic need to access Halal food cannot be satisfied by the government.
Australian support for Indonesia to deal with this issue is of critical importance and would be greatly appreciated. Worker exchange and capacity building programs to train the MUI members and MoA officials to supervise and monitor slaughtering effectively would be a positive step forward. Australians should also consider investing in abattoirs in Indonesia, and the Indonesian government must ensure easy market access for investors. LiveCorp has recently launched a strategic vision for improving animal welfare in Indonesia making Australia the only country in the world investing in animal welfare in its overseas markets. This goodwill toward Indonesia may also contribute to Australia’s own economic growth and strengthen Australia’s regional influence.
Risti Permani is a post-doctoral fellow of the School of Economics at the University of Adelaide.
Thanks Risti Permani for your enlightened description of the situation in Indonesia.I hope people who are making decisons in Australia on this matter also take the time to read it.
I think it isn’t just about treatment at destination. It is about treatment and mortality during transit that is a big issue for people concerned about welfare.
I also believe regardless of stunning, there is nothing to say how the animals are treated being led to the killing box. Will they continue to be routinely whipped, kicked, slashed at before being stunned?? Unless there is an inspector in each abbatoir 24/7 then there is no way humane treatment can be enforced. We all know you cannot rely on people to naturally do the right thing, be it in Indonesia or anywhere else. I expect to see more footage of inhumane treatment to farm animals from these destination countries in the future despite Australian assurance. By stopping willingly providing animals to these places you are doing more to stop barbaric treament of animals. There is nothing wrong with boxed meat. Perhaps spending the money in setting about proper refridgeration would be a more ethcial way to improve welfare.