Live sheep exports ‘sabotaged’ by Animals Australia charity

Animals Australia has been accused of ‘sabotage’ over claims it offered money for distressing footage of live sheep aboard ships.

Animals Australia campaign director Lyn White.

Animals Australia has been ­accused of “industry sabotage at its worse” — akin to the needles in strawberries scandal — as federal MPs and the $2 billion live export industry demand an investi­gation into allegations the charity offered money in return for distressing footage.

Coalition and Labor MPs were yesterday outraged after mess­ages between Animals Australia and ship workers revealed the charity offered to pay $1000 for “assistance” in obtaining footage from ships transporting live stock to the Middle East. The peak ­organisation representing live exporters has also told its ­members the emails raise “serious questions” about the ethics of the way Animals Australia runs its campaigns.

The activist group has fronted campaigns against greyhound racing, battery hen farms and live cattle exports using smuggled footage and interviews with dir­ector of strategy Lyn White in a bid to shock Australians.

West Australian senator Dean Smith was among several government MPs yesterday pushing for an inquiry into the “industrial espionage” by Animals Australia, saying the behaviour deserved close examination by the Aus­tralian Federal Police, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and the Department of Agriculture.

“I call on the ACNC to suspend the charitable status of the group immediately pending the outcome of a full inquiry,’’ he said.

“Animals Australia must make a clear statement to their members and the Australian public (that) these practices are a one-off and not systemic across their activist programs.

In one of the messages, ­published in The Daily Telegraph yesterday, Animals Australia allegedly instructed a worker to wait until temperatures increased before recording overcrowded pens, sheep standing or lying in their melted faeces, piles of dead stock and of sheep panting with their mouths open.

A ship worker also allegedly ­offered to switch off the exhaust fan for a couple of hours to distress the sheep and cattle — an offer ­rebuffed by Animals Australia.

Queensland Nationals MP Keith Pitt declared there was no difference between Animals Australia’s conduct and needles being stuck in strawberries to try to destroy an industry.

“I don’t care who does the investigation,” Mr Pitt said. “This could happen to any of our industries, whether it’s poultry, whether it’s the cattle industry, aquaculture, forestry — they could all be at risk due to this type of industrial espionage.”

The live sheep trade was dealt a blow when it was halted last year after devastating footage of sheep conditions on board Awassi, owned by Perth-based Emanuel Exports, was broadcast last April.

In August, Emanuel’s export ­licence was cancelled, a decision it says it plans to appeal.

WA Liberal MP Rick Wilson, whose electorate of O’Connor is home to many sheep farmers, said he was aware of payments from Animals Australia to whistleblower Fazal Ullah beginning in June 2017 — several months before the Awassi Express voyage.

“I’m not saying the footage isn’t genuine but what I’m saying is there’s an enormous incentive for Mr Ullah to have manufactured and created the sort of footage he knew Animals Australia was looking for,” Mr Wilson said.

Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, who last year claimed a whistleblower was paid more than $200,000 for the Awassi footage, said Australians should direct the same “fury and venom” that was thrown at the sheep industry at Animals Australia.

Sheep farmers are angry at having their industry “turned on its head”, with estimates new government regulations have seen sheep prices drop $10-15 a head.

The Australian Livestock Exporters Council, which represents 96 per cent of the nation’s live ­export market, sent its members a statement yesterday that said the revelations called into question Animals Australia’s integrity.

“These very serious alle­gations, if substantiated, bring into question the ethics of Animals Australia’s campaign strategies and its credibility as an animal welfare advocacy group,” Simon Crean, chair of the ALEC, said in the internal memo obtained by The Australian.

He said the ALEC would raise questions with Agriculture Minister David Littleproud and the ­Department of Agriculture.

“Anyone who’d knowingly hurt animals for money is a grub and doesn’t belong in any ­agricultural industry,” Mr Littleproud said.

His department said alle­gations of a criminal nature involving coercion or fraud could be referred to the AFP.

Animals Australia, which last financial year received $8.9 million through donations, did not deny it paid workers but insisted Mr Ullah was a “brave whistleblower who came forward because of his genuine concerns about the suffering of animals in this disgraceful trade”.