More than 100 cattle die on live export ship from Australia to Indonesia

More than 100 Australian cattle have died aboard a live export ship en route to Indonesia in the latest high profile blow to the sector.

More than 100 cattle aboard a live export vessel have died. Picture: Keri Megelus

More than 100 Australian cattle have died aboard a live export ship en route to Indonesia, sparking rushed tests to determine what was behind the mass mortality.

Early investigations suggest the deaths of the cattle aboard the Brahman Express may have been due to botulism, which is caused by bacteria endemic in the Northern Territory where the cattle were loaded.

It is the latest blow for the sector which is striving to prove its credibility and social licence amid calls for it to be shut down alongside the Albanese government’s planned phase-out of the live sheep export industry.

The Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council said it was confident that there was no evidence of exotic diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, present in cattle on the ship.

“ALEC understands that a shipment of cattle to Indonesia experienced a significant mortality event during a voyage to Indonesia that discharged on 24 March,” the organisation said in a statement.

“The number of deaths are yet to be confirmed through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry investigation process.

“Initial assumptions are that this is a case of botulism, with the affected animals coming from a single property.”

ALEC did not reveal the number of cattle affected, but a source with knowledge of the situation told The Australian it was “more than 100”.

Remaining cattle that may have been affected by the bacteria are being treated in Indonesia.

The cattle were all assessed by a vet and deemed to be in “good health”.

Cattle class aboard the Brahman Express. Picture: Charlie Peel

“The issue was self-reported by the exporter, which is assisting DAFF with further investigation,” the ALEC statement said.

“The exporter has conducted itself correctly through the process and will work closely with DAFF to determine the cause of the deaths.”

The department has been in contact with Indonesian officials to keep them informed of the issue and is awaiting a new round of test results to confirm the cause of the deaths.

“We have been notified by a commercial exporter of an incident involving cattle deaths on a live export vessel exporting to Indonesia,” DAFF said in a statement.

“Prior to departure, the department undertook pre-export inspections to ensure that the livestock met requirements under the Export Control Act 2020 and importing-country requirements.

“There is no suggestion that exotic animal disease is involved. We are investigating the incident as per normal procedures and as a matter of priority.

“Australia remains free of exotic animal diseases such as Lumpy Skin Disease and Foot and Mouth Disease.”

According to the NT government, botulism has a “rapid onset” and is usually fatal to affected cattle in Australia’s north, although deaths have been dramatically reduced since vaccines became available.

Indonesia is Australia’s biggest live cattle trading partner.

Exports to the country were disrupted last year when Indonesian officials suspected that lumpy skin disease was present in cattle that had been shipped from Australia.

Imports from several holding yards in Northern Australia were suspended, but reopened after no sign of the disease was found in Australia after extensive testing.