Live export under fire after sheep footage

AGRICULTURE Minister David Littleproud has launched an extraordinary review of his department after shocking revelations of cruelty to sheep revived calls for Australia’s live export trade to end.

Taking action: Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud announces an audit of the Agriculture Department’s capability, powers and culture, in Melbourne today. Picture: AAP

AGRICULTURE Minister David Littleproud has launched an extraordinary review of his department after shocking revelations of cruelty to sheep revived calls for Australia’s live export trade to end.

The industry is under pressure after whistleblower video footage emerged showing dozens of distressed sheep struggling to breathe while dead animals are thrown over the side of the boat in August 2017.

Mr Littleproud announced an audit of the Agriculture Department’s capability, powers and culture, saying the independent regulator needed the right tools to ensure exporters do the right thing.

He said the department’s report into last year’s voyage had not matched the footage exposing cruelty on-board the ship where about 2400 sheep died after leaving from Fremantle.

“That is quite disappointing to me. I have some real difficulty around that,” he told reporters in Melbourne today.

The Emanuel Exports ship will have to satisfy authorities it’s made improvements before it is allowed to set sail on its next trip to the Middle East after concerns about the airflow in sheep pens.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority inspectors visited the MV Awassi Express yesterday and were concerned about the airflow over some pens.

“AMSA has advised the master and ship operator that they will have to arrange a third party airflow verification report to prove compliance with air flow standards before an Australian Certificate for the Carriage of Livestock can be issued,” a spokesman told AAP today.

Mr Littleproud praised the person who exposed the cruelty and said a new whistleblower hotline would be established by the end of the week. He also foreshadowed bigger fines and possible jail time for company directors, in addition to measure in a bill before parliament which doubles existing penalties.

“I’m horrified and shocked by what I saw and I know every Australian is horrified by those images of cruelty to sheep,” Mr Littleproud said. But he resisted calls from political opponents for a renewed ban on live exports, saying that would punish farmers and exporters who had done nothing wrong.

Animals Australia and the RSPCA are adamant the industry should be shut down.

“There is every reason to believe that what we saw on those five voyages last night is typical of what occurs on every voyage that takes place from Australia’s shores,” RSPCA chairman Gary Humphries told reporters in Canberra.

About 200 protesters gathered outside the West Perth offices of Emanuel Exports on Monday, chanting “save our sheep” and “get the sheep off the ships”.

Western Australia’s Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan called for a summer ban on livestock exports and older live export ships to be phased out.

The Agriculture Department says it will add an independent department veterinarian to the upcoming voyage to the Middle East.

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT LIVE EXPORTS AFTER A VIDEO SHOWED SHEEP DYING ON AN AUSTRALIAN-OWNED SHIP:

* “It’s important that we get integrity back into the live trade system. Those people that do wrong need to be held to account, whether it be a company or an individual.” — Agriculture Minister David Littleproud

* “The industry has gone through a rough patch here and there was a significant event last year. We’re at world’s best practice but we need to get better.” — Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chief executive Simon Westaway

* “We should make sure this does not happen again. We will work with the government because this issue really is a national disgrace.” — Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten

* “Livestock being subjected to cruel and inhumane conditions on substandard export ships is unacceptable. The live export industry must comply with basic animal welfare standards or else there will be growing support within parliament to phase it out, despite the economic impacts.” — WA federal Liberal MP Ian Goodenough

* “I don’t think that there would be a West Australian who saw that footage last night that was not completely disgusted with what they saw and understand that what they saw was clearly very great cruelty being perpetrated upon these animals.” — WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan

* “It was very distressing and I think the industry itself needs to lift its game and we’ll be looking at what we can do at a state level to enforce animal welfare standards to make sure that we reduce the prospect of those things happening again in the future.” — WA Premier Mark McGowan

* “There is every reason to believe that what we saw on those five voyages last night is typical of what occurs on every voyage that takes place from Australia’s shores.” — RSPCA chairman Gary Humphries

* “We have repeat offender exporters that have been sending shipments to the Middle East where vast amounts of animals have been suffering and dying in contravention of Australian laws.” — Animals Australia director of strategy Lyn White

* “Any farmer or grazier would be sickened, saddened and angered to think that animals they have worked so hard to breed and raise would perish in a manner such as this.” — WAFarmers livestock president David Slade