Young Tahlia McSwain from WA would have had no idea that when she signed on with KLTT to sail with the Al Messilah in April that she would end up being unable to get home from Qatar, thanks to COVID,, and instead be shipped off to South Africa.
Denied sailing from Australia during the northern summer due to animal welfare risks, Al Messilah headed off to South Africa to transport sheep from there instead. Apparently not a thought for the sheep or for the young Aussie woman stuck onboard. Tahlia’s podcast revealed a young Australian putting on a brave face and trying to make the best of a bad situation: lockdown onboard the Al Messilah, far from family, friends and fiancé, with uncertainty about what would happen to her. Tahlia stated: "Australia puts a ... not a ban, but they don’t export sheep to the Middle East between the months of June and September because it is far too hot there to discharge the sheep.” She is about to find out that the northern summer ban isn't because it's too hot to discharge but because sheep die of heat stress on the ship. KLTT (Al Mawashi) battled out the court cases, appeal after appeal, till they ran out of judges (and got an acting judge) and finally won permission to sail from South Africa into the northern hemisphere summer. 56,000 60-70kg ewes, wethers and rams, fat from prolonged feedlotting and generously covered with wool (which would not be permitted under ASEL) sailing into one of the worst months of the year. One hopes that this company will be providing Tahlia not only with technical support but with the psychological support she might need. Months away from home, in lock down on a ship and now a likely battle with heat stress ahead. Tahlia, if you need support, we are here and we never leak confidential information from any AAV or stockperson. See: https://poddtoppen.se/podcast/1491430920/company/tahlia-mcswain-has-been-stuck-atsea-for-more-than-100-days See: https://maritime-executive.com/article/animal-rights-group-tries-to-block-livestock-departing-south-africa
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Well, the exporters are delighted and Federal O'Connor MP Rick Wilson will soon undertake a Live Export Update tour of his electorate joined by The Livestock Collective's Dr Holly Ludeman. They are keen to overturn the Northern Summer moratorium.
So...how good was it on this understocked "state of the art" ship that had carefully selected in-spec sheep (if we are to believe David Hazlehurst)....well the IO report is out.... -28 deaths but inexplicably another 155 sheep just totally disappeared from the manifold -28 deaths but only 20 got a PM....were the others too autolysed after heat stress? -trauma and crush injuries...attributed to feedlot procedures.....hmmm what about the bad weather on departure??? Either way, not a good look -3 late pregnant ewes were identified and four lambs born....wow they must have been closely scrutinised and supervised during loading given late pregnant sheep not allowed to travel - pens near the engine hotter despite the purported brilliant ventilation - intervention required to prevent pen flooding AND HEAT STRESS: All sheep suffered some level of heat stress! At the maximum wet bulb temperature of 32C, using the government scoring system there were 3% of sheep at score 4 (DISTRESS)), 12% at score 3 (SEVERE DISCOMFORT), 84% at score 2 (DISCOMFORT) and 1% at score 1. Oh yes....and boggy pads...a sure sign that sheep cannot thermoregulate.... If thats as good as it gets.....???? SEE: https://www.farmweekly.com.au/story/6878403/update-for-live-export-producers/ The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the new footage by Animals Australia taken inside Indonesian abattoirs show Australian cattle being tied up by the mouth, dragged around a slaughter house by rope while alive and slaughtered while fully conscious, breaching rules introduced to protect exported Australian animals from cruelty.
The footage, taken in Australian-approved abattoirs in Aceh, shows a steer being tripped onto a concrete slab, tied up around its mouth while its throat is cut and dragged while alive by the rope by one man, while another two men help drag it by its tail across the abattoir floor. The Livestock Collective's Objective #3 is to “Provide visibility and increase awareness so that every person feels like they have a connection and understanding of the livestock industry.” Seems like Animals Australia is helping them with that. Around 3,000 sheep have died of hunger and thirst after a shipment from Sudan was rejected by Saudi Arabia due to compromised quarantine procedures.History repeating itself.....
Over the years, more than 10 Australian live export shipments have also been rejected with catastrophic animal welfare outcomes. The 2003 Cormo Express disaster was one of the worst: 58,000 sheep rejected because Saudi Arabia alleged there was scabby mouth cases onboard. The Govt had to buy the sheep (with taxpayer money) and then frantically approach over 30 nations to take the animals. Meanwhile, sheep suffered and died, with the survivors eventually unloaded in Eritrea 80 days later. 6,000 sheep died, and the Govt paid Eritrea $1 million (more taxpayer money) to take the survivors. After the Cormo Express, the Govt set up MOUs with importing countries to ensure animals would be unloaded regardless of disputes. The MOUs failed. In 2012, Bahrain rejected 22,000 sheep on board the Ocean Drover, refusing to unload the animals despite the MOU. After another scramble to find a country to accept them, the sheep were shipped to Pakistan with 22000 sheep escaping ESCAS control and being brutally slaughtered Saudi Arabia , the repeat shipment rejection offender (rejecting 11 Australian shipments in 1989-1990 alone), also rejected ESCAS but only a few weeks ago, ALEC said work was underway between the Australian and Saudi Arabian governments to resume live export, and he hoped a “positive” decision will be announced in the next few months. Are we about to undertake a new regulatory experiment even though Australia's boxed meat trade with this unpredictable importing nation is now worth about the same as the Australian live sheep export trade? There is no regulatory system that would ensure acceptable animal welfare outcomes once animals have left our shores, and there's no justification for continuing to ignore public opinion: A majority (76%) of submissions made to the Keniry review in 2003 expressed views opposing live export, and a 2018 RSPCA poll indicated around 75 percent of Australians are opposed to the trade. See: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/13/3000-sheep-die-after-live-exports-rejected-by-saudi-arabia https://www.farmweekly.com.au/story/6855264/decline-in-middle-east-live-export-numbers/ https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/sitecollectiondocuments/animal-plant/animal-welfare/trade/export-transport-review/keniry_review_jan_04.pdf https://www.rspca.org.au/media-centre/news/2018/new-poll-finds-3-4-australians-want-live-export-end-greatest-concern-over Barbabic slaughter and continued use of Mark 1 boxes.....sure the images are from Animals Australia but it is 2020 and not 2011...when ESCAS was introduced to prevent just that.
ABC News reports ALEC's chief executive Mark Harvey-Sutton as saying the latest images from Indonesia of roped slaughter of Australian cattle, without stunning were distressing and suggested that it was due to inexperienced staff (because that explains Mark 1 boxes!). How many times does ALEC have to be “distressed” after the fact before the government recognises ESCAS for what it is - an animal welfare failure. And how is it that AA continues to be the unpaid independent auditor for this industry that is essentially allowed to self-regulate? Australians were outraged in 2011, and they are outraged today - outraged that the government consistently refuses to audit ESCAS facilities itself or penalise exporters for ESCAS breaches. If this trade is to continue, then it must be FIXED! See also: https://www.sheepcentral.com/livestock-exporters-target-red-tape-and-regulatory-overkill/ Farm Weekly reports that The Livestock Collective, RETWA and KLTT are planning to release the results of a scientific study on the heat stress experienced by 100 sheep that were onboard the Al Kuwait for the controversial June/July 2020 voyage to Kuwait.
So....its worth thinking about study design: 1) to be published it will need Animal Ethics Approval (has it got AEC approval?) 2) study design - are 100 sheep representative of 35000 and are they even representative of all classes of sheep and all pen locations 3) why run a study on a highly atypical voyage: - 38% less sheep than routine - unusually swift voyage - only one port stop - sheep <50kg - prolonged pre-export feedlot (which we know improves the condition of sheep loaded...thus why we asked for more time in our ASEL suggestions)....etc etc. The industry is keen to remove outliers when considering mortalities BUT now, it seems they are happy to base science on an absolute outlier. Ho hum.....twisting science to suit themselves as usual? Beef Central recently evaluated which port, Townsville or Darwin, had “bragging rights” for the most cattle exported in 2019-20. Townsville become Australia’s largest cattle export port, overtaking Darwin for the first time in a formal 12 month period. However, Darwin exported 10,132 buffalo which, if included, would bring its exports just above Townsville “which may help to fuel some ongoing debate over which port really does hold the bragging rights.”
A moment of reflection on the suffering in the last financial year shows that neither port has anything to be proud of. July 2019: High mortality voyage 80 for cattle exported to Vietnam (1.19%). Rough seas were encountered, and the cattle were slow to take to the fodder but main cause of mortalities was BRD, risk of which had been noted by the Government Officer before loading. August 2019: High mortality voyage 81 for buffalo exported to Vietnam (0.74%). There were broken legs, downers and rough sea conditions. The buffalo were very wild and were overstocked. The Government concluded possible overstocking of buffalo pens....IO report stated definite overstocking with welfare effects. August 2019: Report of non-compliance with ESCAS for cattle exported to Indonesia. Animals observed outside the approved supply chain (yep a carpark!), with non-compliant handling and slaughter identified: roping slaughter tail pulling, slipping/ falling, hitting, kicking, ear pulling, leg roping, sitting on head (sound like a Bloody Business 2011? sure we improve animal welfare in importing countries....). October 2019: Report of non-compliance with ESCAS control and traceability standards for cattle in Vietnam. Cattle were moved to facilities outside the exporter’s supply chain and have lost traceability....oops, 16 cattle just snuck out. December 2019: Report of non-compliance with ESCAS for buffalo exported to Vietnam at an ESCAS approved abattoir. (Buffalo slaughtered in the back of trucks with abattoir staff using an electric prodder to lift the buffalo’s heads so as to reach them with the stunner etc) April 2020: Report of non-compliance with ESCAS control standards for cattle in Vietnam. Cattle were moved to facilities outside the exporter’s supply chain.....again. And thats only the things we know about......some reason to brag eh? The NSPCA is the lead applicant in a case, to be heard in early August, seeking to have the High Court permanently ban livestock exports from South Africa, due to alleged animal health and welfare violations during two previous such shipments.
Marcelle Meredith, executive director of the NSPCA, said that “ethics and live exports go together like chalk and cheese”. Shaykh Achmat Sedick, director of South Africa’s Muslim Judicial Council Halaal Trust, said the trust also opposed the shipboard livestock exports. “From an Islamic perspective, the condition of the animals should be tayyib, which means that when the animals are transported, it must be done with utmost care in order not to [physically] harm [or stress] the animal [in any way], which is not the case. Therefore, it violates the requirements and standards needs for the animal to be considered tayyib […] for halaal certification.” See: https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/no-such-thing-as-ethical-live-sheep-exports-says-nspca/ Turns out its not just Aust that ignores its own reviews. The UK RSPCA has launched a petition calling on the UK Government to release a live export report submitted by the Farm Animal Welfare Committee 15 months ago.
Leaked details indicate that the report recommends improving lorry and ship standards and reducing journey times, a move which would effectively end live exports from the nation. The government had confirmed it is “actively considering” how to implement its manifesto commitment to end the trade ie usual government sidestepping. Every year thousands of sheep are exported from Ramsgate to be driven across Europe for slaughter and dairy calves can also be exported from Scotland to Spain in journeys that can take 96 hours, where they are reared for veal and beef. Chris Sherwood, UK RSPCA Chief Executive, echoed the same concerns that have been raised in Australia about the industry here: It's unacceptable and completely unnecessary that animals are still being subjected to long journeys, often in stressful conditions with poor law enforcement. These long journeys can cause animals to suffer from fear, exhaustion, dehydration, temperature extremes and lack of food, water or rest. There is no control over where they end up, what conditions they're then kept in or how they're slaughtered. See: RSPCA press release: https://www.rspca.org.uk/-/uk-government-actively-considering-ending-live-exports See Maritime Executive: https://www.maritime-executive.com/corporate/uk-government-considers-ending-live-exports Petition: https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/stopliveexports VALE Spokeperson Dr Sue Foster has been awarded the 2020 David Bayvel Award by the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists, Animal Welfare Chapter. The criteria for a recipient of this award is "Their work must have clear benefits in improving the welfare of specific animal populations in such fields as education, research, policy, advocacy, or extension".
Sue's contributions were also recognised by The University of Sydney Faculty of Science in August 2019. Sue won the Faculty of Science’s Alumni Achievement Award for the Service to Humanity category in 2019. The Faculty stated "These awards honour our foremost thinkers and brightest achievers." |
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