Saffin takes Nash to task over local beef industry claims

On 17 September 2010 Nationals Senator Fiona Nash stated that Page Labor MP, Janelle Saffin, is putting her own political survival ahead of the jobs of North Coast farmers and beef industry workers and characterised Saffin's actions as nutty .

Ms Saffin was rather naturally not amused and countered with this media release yesterday:

Saffin calls for increase in frozen meat exports

Page MP Janelle Saffin has hit back at National Party Senator Fiona Nash for her ridiculous claim that Janelle is planning a Private Members Bill that would hurt the local beef industry.

"Once again Senator Nash has not let the facts get in the way of her wild allegations.

"For a start, I have never talked about putting up a Private Members Bill to ban live exports.

"The facts are that in the last Parliament I put forward a Notice of Motion raising concerns about Live Exports. It was listed but did not get debated before the Parliament was dissolved.

"The Notice called for moves to expand Australia's frozen and chilled meat export industry using Australian halal meat exports.

"I plan to reintroduce the Notice of Motion because I believe this is an issue that should be raised in the Federal Parliament.

"There was nothing in my original notice of motion talking about banning live exports, but that hasn't stopped Senator Nash trying to get a headline.

"This is certainly an issue on which many people have strong opinions and I am aware of the arguments for and against live exports, which is why I would like to see the issue raised in Parliament.

"Senator Nash is way off the mark if she thinks I have not discussed this with people in the local beef industry.

"She claims I am not concerned about local, but it is local meatworkers who have come to me on this issue because the live export trade is costing them jobs and the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union is campaigning on this as well.

"Rather than see millions of live sheep and cattle sent offshore for processing, we could be doing more processing here, providing more jobs and value adding locally.

"It is through value adding that we get to strengthen the economy and create jobs.

"There is already a trade in Halal processed frozen meat being exported and we could be expanding this industry and phasing out the live exports.

"Steve Martyn from the Australian Meat Industry Council says the live export trade means we're exporting jobs away from local processing sector without recognising the benefits processing companies bring to their local communities.

"The media interest in the story shows it is timely to raise this debate and we should be looking at the economic and the humanitarian arguments.

"I will not be silenced on this and there is nothing 'nutty' about raising issues of national interest for debate. The only thing nutty here is Senator Nash.

"I suggest in future if she wants to know what I am planning that she contact me, instead of going off half-cocked with her usual pile of misinformation in search of a headline.

UPDATE:

Transcript of Saffin's Notice of Motion of 16 March 2010 in OpenAustralia:

That the House:
(1)
notes:
(a)
that the Commonwealth is the primary regulator of animal welfare;
(b)
the national and international concerns about the welfare of animals transported under the live animal export trade, both during transportation and their treatment at their destination raised in campaigns by organisations and individuals including the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Princess Ali of Jordan, the RSPCA, the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel, and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore;
(c)
that Australia is one of the few countries to consistently treat animals humanely during slaughter and its meat has gained wide acceptance in the Middle East as meeting halal standards;
(2)
acknowledges the opposition of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union and the local meat processors, including Casino Northern Cooperative Meat Company, to the live export trade on the grounds that it has a detrimental effect on the local meat processing industry, affecting jobs and the Australian economy; and
(3)
supports moves towards the expansion of the frozen and chilled meat export industry using Australian halal stunned meat exports.