Legal bid to stop live sheep ship fails

Live sheep exporters in Western Australia have been given the green light to export sheep beyond the June 1 moratorium.

Sheep on trucks waiting to be loaded onto a live export ship in Fremantle. Picture: AAP

Live sheep exporters in Western Australia have been given the green light to export sheep ­beyond a June 1 moratorium imposed by the federal Agriculture Department after a legal attempt to stop the shipment failed.

The Federal Court refused Animal Australia’s objection on Tuesday, which means Rural Export and Trading WA can immediately begin to load sheep on the Al Kuwait in Fremantle and depart midweek for Kuwait.

RETWA made two applications for special permission to export 56,000 sheep into the Middle Eastern summer, the first rejected by the Agriculture ­Department but a second ­approved late last week.

The exemption was sought after an outbreak of COVID-19 among its crew delayed its plans to beat the June deadline, after which no live sheep are supposed to travel to the Middle East for three months.

The company said it would reduce to 35,000 the number of animals it would load on board, in order to mitigate the risk of heat stress.

It cited mitigation strategies as the removal of heavier sheep that can be less heat tolerant, ensuring wool length of less than 20mm and not loading hotter areas of the vessel.

Animals Australia said it was disappointed by the Federal Court decision. Spokeswoman Lyn White said the live export ban was introduced by the government to put animal welfare before commercial interests.

“This is the public expectation, which is why there was such dismay on the granting of this exemption,” she said.