Nobody has any doubt about the progress brought by the internet access, the social media spread and the constant flow of transport worldwide. Under this scenario, while the distances of commerce activities seem now short and accessible, it is difficult for the laws and regulations to keep up with these changes and innovations. In this sense, we have seen how in many countries, included Chile, live export cattle amounting thousands of heads are being shipped to the Middle East. In spite of the government controls previous to ship departure, mainly related to sanitary issues, the animal welfare before and during the shipment is overlooked, leaving many questions without an answer.
For example, how is it possible that the Chilean authorities allow herd ship exports when the Chilean livestock and beef herds have decreased during the last five years?, who is qualified to control the genetics issues? The latter is a subject of major importance, since nobody knows what kind of genetics we are exporting. Could this ancient genetics be essential for the future of our own country?, who does the reproduction assessment? This is another important question, because of all those animals being exported without pregnancy control, producing abortion, suffering inhumane conditions as a consequence of the high levels of urea in the environment due to urine and faeces which can lead to the death of calves or lambs. Also, we forget that those animals suffer of constant dizziness during the shipment. Furthermore, maybe it is time to think not only about the financial aspects involved in this business but also about the technical issues such as a the loss of natural resources and biodiversity, and consider regulating the export animals that do not belong here in this country either by genetics and/or cultural aspects.
Editorial Committee
Austral Journal of Veterinary Sciences.