Australia’s Live Sheep Export Ban: End to a cruel era that can’t come soon enough
After decades of suffering, the end to live sheep export from Australia is about to become reality.
In May 2024, Australians received the historic news they’d been waiting for, with an end date announced for the cruel live export of sheep by sea. Legislation was introduced into parliament to enshrine this ban into law.
From 1 May 2028, not one more sheep will be forced to suffer a stressful journey by sea, only to meet a cruel death at the other end.
While this is a huge success for compassionate Australians who’ve tirelessly campaigned for months, years, and decades, for Aussie sheep to no longer suffer the cruelty of live export, this is not the time to rest.
The live export industry is throwing everything they have at trying to fight this legislation.
We must make sure the Labor Government does not falter. Our voice needs to be louder and stronger than the live export industry.
We are so close to banning live sheep exports forever.
A history of suffering
The Cruelty of MV Bahijah
We don’t have to look far to find an example of why this trade needs to end.
Earlier this year, the horrific ordeal of sheep trapped on MV Bahijah sparked public outrage.
On 5 January, approximately 16,000 Australian sheep and cows departed Australia, enroute to be killed in the Middle East; but not before a cruel and gruelling journey.
Their passage was expected to take three weeks but with conflict in the Red Sea, the government ordered the ship1 to return to Australia two weeks in.
Arriving off the coast of Fremantle in Western Australia on 29 January, the animals had been cramped on a moving vessel for almost a month, but their horrific ordeal wasn’t over yet.
They were stranded on board for weeks during a heatwave with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees2 while the exporter sought to re-export them via a different channel and the government deliberated. The cooling ventilation may have been reduced on the stationary ship, causing the animals further stress3.
While the government continued to assure the public that they remained in good health and reportable mortality thresholds were unmet, deaths did occur.
Between the ship’s departure and 14 February, 64 sheep and four cows died on board, while six sheep and seven cows died on land4 after disembarking.
In March, the remaining animals were forced to endure another 33-day journey to Israel, making this the longest recorded live export voyage Australian animals have endured in the history of this cruel trade5.
Issues with Live Sheep Export
Despite overwhelming Australian opposition to the trade, Australia is the largest live exporter worldwide, and specifically the largest live exporter of sheep6,7.
In 2023 alone, a shocking 1,352,783 Australian animals were live exported by sea and air8. This includes 650,717 sheep, 676,592 cows and 18,356 goats and alpacas, buffalo, camels, and llamas.
There have been countless animals lost at sea in this trade9, 10,11 their lives considered disposable.
The animals suffer in a multitude of ways. Here is just a snapshot:
Heat Stress
On shipping vessels, animals are overloaded and overheated for weeks on their journey12.
After 2,400 Australian sheep died from extreme heat stress while being live exported by sea in 2017, live export of sheep to the Middle East was banned during the northern summer13.
These restrictions were relaxed somewhat in 2022, however, to allow exporters to send sheep via the Red Sea to Israel in early June14, 15.
Heat stress is a large cause of mortality in sheep travelling by sea, especially in sheep transported from an Australian winter to Middle Eastern summer.16
Small Space
Sheep exported by sea are afforded a pitiable minimum pen space approximate to their weight, ranging from just 0.295 metres squared for sheep weighing 32kg to 0.585 metres squared for sheep weighing 90kg17.
Almost stacked on top of each other, they may be forced to climb on top of each other to access food and water18 and many sheep are packed so tightly together they cannot sit at all19.
Substandard slaughter methods
Once at their destination country, the sheep destined for slaughter are then killed in accordance with weaker animal welfare laws20. Animals are not stunned before slaughter, meaning extreme cruelty is used to make the animals defenceless21.
These slaughter methods don’t align with Australian standards for slaughter and often breach World Organisation for Animal Health standards22.
To read more about the multitude of issues inherent in this trade, take a look here.
Next steps for Live Export
While the announced ban on live export of sheep by sea is a wonderful success for animals and we are heartened that the suffering of Australian sheep by sea will decidedly end, one more sheep suffering in this trade is one too many.
We remain concerned about the hundreds of thousands of sheep who’ll be forced to endure this relentless journey in the years leading up to May 2028.
This ban also won’t extend to the live export or sheep by air. Nor does it offer any respite for other animals like cows who are also live exported and suffer no less.
What’s more, overseas live export groups motivated by profits remain determined to overturn this ban.
And so, our fight for the animals trapped in this cruel trade isn’t over yet.
We’ll continue to campaign until live export is a thing of the past for all Australian animals.
References:
1 Australian Broadcasting Corporation [Accessed 13/6/2024] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-20/live-export-ship-mv-bahijah-forced-turn-back-to-australia/103371784
2 ABC [Accessed 05/06/2024] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-31/mv-bahijah-live-sheep-export-vessel/103406578
3 FOUR PAWS [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.four-paws.org.au/our-stories/blog-news/animal-welfare-crisis-in-australia-live-export-mv-bahijah
4 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry [Accessed 15/5/2024] https://www.agriculture.gov.au/about/news/mv-bahijah-live-updates
5 RSPCA [Accessed 13/6/2024] https://timeline.rspca.org.au/
6 Australian Alliance for Animals [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.allianceforanimals.org.au/ourwork/time-for-the-albanese-government-to-fulfil-its-election-promise-to-phase-out-live-sheep-exports
7 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/independent-review-australias-livestock-export-trade.doc
8 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry [Accessed 15/5/2024] https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/export/controlled-goods/live-animals/live-animal-export-statistics/livestock-exports-by-market
9 The Guardian [Accessed 13/6/2024] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/26/brahman-express-cattle-die-export-ship-australia-indonesia
10 FOUR PAWS Australia [Accessed 13/6/2024] https://www.four-paws.org.au/campaigns-topics/topics/disaster-relief/animal-disaster-relief-in-romania
11 The Guardian [Accessed 13/06/2024] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/31/live-exporter-charged-with-sheep-cruelty-over-deadly-awassi-shipment
12 FOUR PAWS Australia [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.four-paws.org.au/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals/live-animal-transport
13 Sydney Morning Herald [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.smh.com.au/national/ban-on-shipping-live-exports-in-summer-months-set-to-be-relaxed-20220325-p5a7sm.html
14 The Guardian [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/08/australia-relaxes-summer-ban-on-live-sheep-exports-to-middle-east
15 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/export/controlled-goods/live-animals/animal-welfare/livestock-welfare-reviews/northern-hemisphere-review
16 National Library of Medicine [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7222853/
17 Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/ASEL-version-3.3.pdf
18 FOUR PAWS Australia [5/6/2024] https://www.four-paws.org.au/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals/live-animal-transport
19 FOUR PAWS Australia [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.four-paws.org.au/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals/live-animal-transport/live-exports-in-australia
20 FOUR PAWS Australia [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.four-paws.org.au/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals/the-torment-of-sheep-in-the-wool-and-meat-industry
21 FOUR PAWS Australia [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.four-paws.org.au/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals/live-animal-transport/live-exports-in-australia
22 FOUR PAWS Australia [Accessed 5/6/2024] https://www.four-paws.org.au/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals/live-animal-transport/live-exports-in-australia
23 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry [Accessed 15/5/24] https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/export/controlled-goods/live-animals/livestock/live-sheep-exports-phase-out
24 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry [Accessed 15/5/24] https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/export/controlled-goods/live-animals/livestock/live-sheep-exports-phase-out
