Australia continues efforts to raise Egyptian animal welfare standards

The purpose of their visit is to develop enhanced standards of traceability and improved animal welfare for Australian cattle after they arrive in Egypt.

"Unfortunately, there are many animal welfare concerns in Egypt involving different animal species," said Dr Nigel Brown, Meat and Livestock Australia's Livestock Services Manager for the Middle East and Africa. "While we limit our activities to those affecting the livestock we export, we also try and ensure there are incremental, roll-on effects to animal welfare in general - as we did in our recent workshop in Egypt."

Meat & Livestock Australia and LiveCorp believe in working with governments and NGOs to raise public awareness and provide effective training to improve animal welfare. Last month an MLA / LiveCorp workshop in Cairo provided a solid foundation in fundamental animal welfare for staff of different organisations, including the Egyptian Society for Animal Friends (ESAF), the General Organisation of Veterinary Services GOVS and abattoir personnel.

Dr Brown said; "Providing animal husbandry support to raise standards of animal welfare has long been an important component of the Australian technical support provided in the region. Our current objective is to identify abattoirs with good animal welfare standards and ensure that animals from Australia go through those facilities.'

"The MLA approach to animal welfare concerns is to work with local authorities to provide technical support in the broadest sense. A new Animal Welfare Unit has been formed within Egypt's GOVS and they are currently developing codes of practice for animal welfare based on OIE standards - the World Animal Health organisation.

'They are also developing strategies to improve animal welfare which include the discussions with Al Azhar University, the premier seat of religious learning in Cairo, to place religious inspectors in abattoirs to ensure religious requirements regarding animal welfare are met as well," Dr Brown concluded.