CONFIRMED payments to a live sheep export whistleblower has raised the prospect of a new investigation and doubts about subsequent animal activist-generated footage.
And federal Labor’s vacillation on its live sheep export policy during the federal election has raised the ire of the nation’s peak exporters’ body.
The Australian newspaper yesterday reported that a leaked statutory declaration by Animals Australia strategy director Lyn White discloses details of $US107,710 ($148,000) in various payments made to AA’s star whistleblower Fazal Ullah and his family.
The disclosure has prompted Nationals Senator Matt Canavan to call for a new investigation into the payments, despite Agriculture Minister David Littleproud claiming an investigation by his department found no evidence that any payments to ship workers had been made.
Australian Livestock Exports Council chief executive officer Mark Harvey-Sutton said the more concerning thing about the whistleblower payments is that they create a market for animal cruelty.
“If you have incentives for footage of animal cruelty footage, you are creating a market for poor animal outcomes.”
Mr Harvey-Sutton said he was not suggesting that sheep were placed in a less than optimum animal welfare situation to create the footage supplied by Fazal Ullah.
“But that is, in my view a very serious potential consequence of this practice.”
Mr Harvey-Sutton said he could not comment on whether the confirmed payments undermined the credibility of...
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