UPDATE: The opportunity to lodge submissions for two inquiries into the live export trade closes today. 

One is the indendent Livestock Export Review commissioned by Agriculture minister Joe Ludwig to investigate standards within the Australian live export industry.

The second is a senate review initiatied by Australian Greens senator Rachel Seiffert which is being conducted by Senate Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee.

The deadlines to make submissions for both inquriries is today.

Beef Australia 2009 Rabobank Young Ambassador and Central Western Queensland solicitor Elisha Seekamp has coordinated an email campaign in recent days urging industry supporters not to miss the opportunity to promote the industry.

She said most submissions that have been publised on the Livestock Export Review website opposed live exports and contained is-information and unfounded facts and errors about the industry.

“The 27 submissions against live export as a whole basically argue that chilled beef is a viable and perfect solution to end Australian live export, we should follow New Zealand's footsteps, cattle suffer on a long boat trip, nothing has been done in years to improve ship transportation, the governing veterinary body is against the continuation of live export, MLA is hopeless and incompetent, we should start up meatworks in Northern Australia, live export is outdated, religious practices in Indonesia are outdated, the Australian beef industry should just be assisted with funding and live export ended, countries we export to cannot be trusted, the majority of slaughterman in Indonesia are untrained and we have proven that our industry cannot manage animal welfare concerns,” she said.

Elisha has developed two templates to assist industry supporters to develop and lodge submissions for each inquiry.

Her template for the Livestock Export Review is available by clicking here

The template for submissions to the Senate Inquiry is available by clicking here

“It is easy to write even a few sentences relating to the Terms of Reference on the website and to set out the facts,” she said.

“We can do better than only two letters supporting the live export industry.”

Submissions could also be lodged confidentially. 

Bill Farmer AO is leading the review and will provide a final report to Government by 31 August 2011.

To visit the Livestock Export Review website  click here

To visit the Senate Inquiry website click here