You are invited to comment on the Draft Management Plan for the Commercial Harvest and Export of the Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in Tasmania, 2010 - 2014 Submissions must be in by 23rd of April.
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/invitecomment/brushtail-possum.html
The Australian Government's authority on this matter relates to approval of the plan for
export of common brushtail possum products. In accordance with the provisions of section
303FR of the Act, you are invited to comment on this proposed management plan.
Please submit your comments by Friday 23 April 2010. Please include your full name,
postal address and email address in your submission. Remember that the EPBC Act has a
requirement to address humane issues. A decision to stop the possum kill by
Garret's Department will be only made by law, under the EPBC Act, and not by emotions.
Comments should be addressed to: The Director, Wildlife Trade Assessments, Department
of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601 or
can be emailed to: wta@environment.gov.au To assist the Minister in considering
comments, the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts encourages
you to provide comments under the following headings: Sustainability of the Harvesting
Regime, Monitoring, Quota Setting Regime, Licensing Regime, Welfare, Other.
There is a very distressing video of the possums being inhumanely killed in
Mr Kellys processing plant. We are trying to get it put online for people to use in
their submissions, but there are some legal issues to work through first. The comments
below are taken from the Animal Lib SA website.
A video was taken in the Lenah Valley possum slaughterhouse in January 1999,
over 6 months after the Senate Committee report was published, with its endorsement
of the industry. The video clearly showed: Several possums were not rendered
unconscious by the first hit of the captive bolt pistol. The stunner then slowly
walked over to reload the pistol, and slowly returned to the possum for a second shot.
Since the possum was hit by the first shot, it is likely to have suffered pain during
this time. A disturbing number of possums were not unconscious when their throat
was cut. Some were sufficiently mobile to leap out of the trough onto the floor.
Problems occurred when the slaughterman stopped to sharpen his knife, and stunned
possums coming through the chute piled up. In some cases the slaughterman had trouble
holding a struggling possum still while he tried to slit the throat. Pouch joeys were
picked up and bashed against a metal trough, then dumped in a waste bin.
to sign the petition, go to:http://www.aact.org.au/possum.htm
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