Australian Cattle in Qatar
Australian livestock exports dying from neglect
Think twice before clicking this link - it contains scenes many will consider disturbing.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-18/australian-livestock-dying-from-ne...
Revelations that Australian sheep and cattle are dying from neglect in the Middle East have sparked concern about the welfare of animals shipped overseas for breeding purposes.
Animal rights groups have won better regulation of the slaughter of exported Australian livestock, but there are no safeguards for animals being exported for breeding.
In the past two years 180,000 dairy cattle have been exported from Australia. Among them were stud cattle sold by Melinda Neist for breeding in Qatar.
Ms Neist says she was told by a buying agent's personal assistant "about how good it would be over there for them".
The cattle ended up at a farm north of Dohar, called Al Waab, owned by Qatari prince Sheikh Abdulla Bin Khalid Al-thani.
Vet technician Deb Clarke was invited to inspect the farm and found a lack of infrastructure to support the thousands of sheep, goats and cattle coming from Australia.
She agreed to become a consultant to the farm to better manage the animals.
After training staff and organising infrastructure, Ms Clarke thought she was getting on top of desert farming, but that perception was shattered last month.
"I came home for 10 days and returned to Qatar and the animals hadn't been fed," she said.
"No-one had checked the air-conditioning in the calf unit and it was over 50 degrees.
"There were just dead and dying animals everywhere and I was just absolutely heartbroken.
"Animals were too weak to even stand. They were lying in hot sand. They were frying - literally cooking - in those type of temperatures of 50-plus degrees.
"They were frying from the inside out. It was absolutely shocking."
Ms Clarke saw 64 cows die in one week and took dozens of photos documenting what she saw.
She recommended one cow, which was malnourished and dehydrated, be put down.
"The worker sawed that cow's throat open with a pocket knife," she said.
People from abroad have to understand that Qatar is far, far from Kansas...or Australia. They have to understand that what is said to happen and what will happen is not the same.
And teaching people while micromanaging them is one thing...what happens after is another.
To the OP: if you think this is bad, you should visit the worker concentration camps (sorry . . . I meant the industrial era).
I dont think we should eat this kind of meat, surely there must be a chemical reaction in their body since have been undergone huge abuse. This would down grade the quality of the meat.
Reminds of a joke the other day I heard Brit Expat.
Neil Armstrong supposedly the first man to land on the surface of the moon, was shocked to see three men wearing shalwar kameez hiding behind a hill.
When he approached then and said to them, I am American my country has spent millions of dollars to send me to the moon, who are you and how did you get here.
The three replied we are 2 from Afghanistan and and 1 from Pakistan and we got here through an agent in Peshawar..:)
I think it is so shameful that just for profit the animals were sold to the richest country in the World, and not stay in Qatar and follow up to make sure the money was properly spent on exceptional infrastructures & proper care for these animals. Money wasted,
GOD have mercy,stop this exporting of animals for profit only Austrilia!!! If you & your TEAM are so worried about your animals you export, stay and make sure everything is professionally ran, staff is properly trained and climate controled!!! SICK Haram!!!! I do not think Sheikh has enough time in his day to know everything that goes on here.
How Can we make him aware. change this farm, instead of building towers that are empty just for show and to throw money around. use it wisely.
Salam
I see this as a case of an agent promising the earth to both parties. Taking his comission and doing a runner.
could it be more of a disgruntled employee?
it was a mess... just putting a lot of cattle inside a shed doesnt make it a Farm!
and what good is her team if they cannot switch on the AC and feed the animals? She is supposed to have trained them right?
And how were they supposed to feed so many cattle in a shed cause I dont see any feeding arrangements!
So its looks like it was OK before she went home (home country) and after 10 days when she came back this what she found.
Now my question is, if she is a Consultant hired by the Sheikh then why did she not put procedures and practices in place so the Animal will be in good health till she returned?
Something missing here???
A lot says of Ms Clarke's ability to manage a farm... her "team" could not check if the AC was switched on?... was the A/C not on 24hrs in the first place?
I find that Cattle shed to be of very poor quality... with the sand and all... and she is supposed to be responsible for running it!
Melinda Neist farm is a good farm while this one is not.
There is more to the story....
veg. food ..
This is tragic and disgusting.
ok that's absolutely sickening..and britexpat; while slitting the throat to slaughter is indeed the Islamic way; sawing your way through a large cow's throat with a pocket knife definitely isn't; the prescribed method is a suitably sized knife with a blade sharp enough that in one swift cut all the major arteries are cut; 'sawing' through the throat with a pocket knife seems to be a most painful and inhumane way of going about it:-(
thumbs up for brit, the truth is everything is for money even these gulf countries having lots of it!
I wonder if the Sheikh is aware any of this even happened.
If it wasn't for the foreign press, who knows how many similar stories would never see the light of day.
I couldn't even bare to watch the whole vid. Heartbreaking! Those poor animals. Such extreme cruelty! And what I don't understand is does not the AlWaab farm also lose much by causing their animals to die this way? I mean if not for the love mercy towards God's creation do they not love to profit? What a bunch of unskilled and downright wacko farmers they must be! Hope the Sheikh takes necessary steps now to hire better skilled workers and end the cruel farming!
If the facilities are inadequate, then why get ready to ship another 10,000 sheep, 3,000 goats and 200 dairy cattle. - for money ?
Reading the full article , there are too many unanswered questions.
Why did they not check the facilities prior to shipping ?
What was the farm set up for ?
Ms. Clarke organised the infrastructure and trained the staff, yet this tragedy occurred.
"The worker sawed that cow's throat open with a pocket knife," she said (normal for slaughter in Gulf states)
If the facilities are inadequate, then why get ready to ship another 10,000 sheep, 3,000 goats and 200 dairy cattle.
poor cattle i feel pity for them
They come from Australia and die from neglect in Qatar.
"Australian Cattle" , LP isnt it irrelevant to qatar or qatar living
Welcome to Qatar. Actually, some workers are treated similarily.