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WA exporter comes forward after footage emerges of shocking cattle slaughter under mosque in Indonesia

Zach RelphCountryman
International Livestock Exports has suspended cattle supply to the Indonesian abattoir as the incident is investigated.
Camera IconInternational Livestock Exports has suspended cattle supply to the Indonesian abattoir as the incident is investigated.

A WA livestock exporter has been identified as the company at the centre of an animal welfare probe, after footage surfaced of supposed Australian cattle being slaughtered in an Indonesian carpark.

International Livestock Exports managing director Mike Stanton confirmed the Perth-based exporter had shipped four of the cattle killed, without stunning, in an underground carpark below a North Sumatran mosque last month.

Animals Australia notified Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, which is investigating the incident of the alleged Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System breach on August 13.

It is understood the cattle came from a Northern Territory pastoral station, were shipped from Darwin and sold to the mosque by an Indonesian abattoir during Eid al-Adha — also known as the Festival of Sacrifice — celebrations.

Mr Stanton said ILE took its ESCAS responsibility seriously and had suspended cattle supply to the Indonesian abattoir.

“Once informed of the breach ILE took immediate action to identify the cattle involved,” he said.

“(ILE) has since taken the remediation action to cease supply of Australian animals to the abattoir involved.”

The ear tags of the slaughtered cattle in the footage had been removed.

After Animals Australia distributed the video to the department, the animal welfare regulator shared it with exporting companies in a bid to identify the cattle, with ILE confirming it was the exporter.

ILE supplied its interim report to the department on August 28 and is scheduled to submit its final report tomorrow.

Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chief executive Mark Harvey-Sutton said the organisation had reviewed the footage and branded the cattle slaughter as unacceptable.

“The exporter is taking steps to engage the facility outside the approved supply chain where the cattle were slaughtered in order to ensure that this does not occur again,” he said.

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