Live export

The statistics on these live export pages are a few years out of date. Latest statistics are available at the Animals Australia website.

(Numbers in the text refer to references - click on any number to see these references.)

Transport to ports

Sheep are transported to the Middle East from the ports of Fremantle (WA), Port Adelaide (SA) and Portland (Vic). This is a voyage of at least 10,000 kilometres, which takes from 10 days to 3 weeks, depending on the destination ( 1 ).

Sheep are transported to ports by road or rail from farms hundreds of kilometres away. They have no food and sometimes no water en route.

Near the port they are kept in feedlots for 5-10 days. This is to accustom them to the dry pellets they will be fed on board. The sheep have previously eaten only grass and hay, and some of them don't adapt well to the new diet. Some deaths occur in feedlots, and some sheep are rejected for transport at this point because they are sick or in poor condition. ( 2-3 ).

Conditions at sea

Sheep ships are huge - the largest of them carry over 100,000 animals. On each deck there are 2 levels of pens. Sheep are crowded 3 per square metre.

The sides of decks may be open or closed - both have problems. Open decks can be very cold and they offer less protection from bad weather. On closed decks ventilation can be poor, especially when temperature and humidity are high and the fans have trouble coping.

The death rate is higher on closed decks, possibly because levels of humidity and ammonia from droppings are higher ( 4 ). In this atmosphere more sheep refuse to eat.

Conditions on the bridge of sheep ships range from 20C-32C, with humidity from 70-90% ( 4 ). However, it is usually less pleasant in the sheep pens. A vet travelling with a shipment reported a maximum of 34C in the pens, with a relative humidity of 85%. He described the conditions as "pretty hot and sticky" ( 5 ).

Around 2% of sheep die between loading and unloading. The main cause of death is starvation - sheep who are otherwise fat and healthy stop eating and die. Around 47% of deaths are due to this cause, with another 27% due to infections by Salmonella bacteria ( 3 ). These 2 causes are not unrelated, because it is mainly stressed and under-nourished sheep that die of infection.

The third main cause of death is trauma (12%). Most of these injuries occur when the hind legs splay on slippery floors during loading (6). These researchers commented: " Hip dislocation and torn pelvic muscles were common consequences when sheep fell heavily on splayed hind legs. Euthanasia was performed on most of these sheep because of their inability to walk to food and water " ( 6 ).

Unlike New Zealand ships, Australian ships don't regularly carry a vet, so sick or injured animals can't get treatment from a qualified person.

The following table shows the number of sheep deaths over a 16-year period, from loading in Australia and unloading in the Middle East. A small number of sheep exported to South East Asia have also been included. The table was compiled by ANZFAS from Department of Transport records and, since 1989, from Western Australian Department of Agriculture summary information ( 1 ).

Year	Total Exported	Deaths	% Mortality
1981	4,357,345	102,630	2.36
1982	5,787,660	129,233	2.23
1983	6,127,916	126,046	2.06
1984	6,537,387	132,821	2.03
1985	7,088,209	133,990	1.89
1986	6,557,410	127,515	1.94
1987	8,439,069	138,543	1.64
1988	7,013,427	120,962	1.72
1989	5,116,343	110,085	2.15
1990	4,153,703	81,607	1.96
1991	3,972,000	83,226	2.10
1992	4,583,938	137,432	2.99
1993	5,108,722	129,414	2.53
1994	5,458,746	109,000	2.00
1995	5,784,207	98,654	1.95
1996	5,593,465	152,930	2.79
1997	5,122,981	68,136	1.33
1998	5,000,000	87,000	1.75

The table shows that over 2 million sheep have died between loading and unloading for export. Many more die after they reach their destination, and all suffer stress and discomfort. Imagine living in a street with 50 young, healthy people. You would be shocked if one died every 2-3 weeks, yet this is what happens "normally" in the live sheep trade.

Conditions in the Middle East

Most sheep are exported to Muslim countries in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and others to a lesser extent.

Around 20% of all deaths occur during unloading in the Middle East ( 4 ). Unloading has at times been slow, and any delays increase the death rate. Around one-third of ships unload sheep at more than one port, possibly up to 5 ( 4 ). This increases the length of the voyage by up to 9 days for the last sheep, and increases the death rate ( 7 ).

Once unloaded, most sheep will be kept in feedlots. An Australian Trade Commission official has found that 3% of sheep died in these feedlots ( 8 ).

According to Muslim tradition, animals must be slaughtered by the halal method, which means they must be alive and unmarked at the time the throat is cut. In Australian, animals are stunned and made unconscious before slaughter. Muslims in Australian have accepted stunning, as long as the animal remains unmarked.

Obviously it is far less cruel to cut the throat of an unconscious animal to reduce pain and stress. A conscious animal will feel the pain of the cut and the terror of bleeding to death.

When things go wrong

The descriptions given so far apply to "normal" conditions. However, many mishaps have occurred in the unhappy saga of the live sheep trade.

A major debacle occurred when Saudi Arabia, the main buyer of live sheep, rejected 6 shiploads between July and September 1989, claiming that the sheep were diseased. According to Department of Transport and Communication figures, 467,549 sheep were aboard these ships, and 29,978 died, a mortality rate of 6.4%. One ship took 16 weeks before another country would accept the sheep ( 1 ).

The trade with Saudi Arabia was briefly suspended but resumed in January 1990. By May 1990 a further 3 ships had been rejected, carrying 174,000 sheep. The trade with Saudi Arabia was indefinitely suspended in January 1991 ( 9 ). However, in spite of all these problems and the enormous suffering inflicted on sheep, the trade to Saudi Arabia is set to resume early in 2000.

The list below shows how sheep have drowned, burned and died of heat exhaustion during live export ( 1 ).

1980	40,605 sheep perished in the fire aboard the Farid Fares.
1980	A disease outbreak caused the death of 2,713 sheep on the Kahleej Express.
1981	635 sheep died in the transfer from the Kahleej Express to the Al Shuuwaikh.
1981	8,764 sheep perished on board The Persia from ventilation breakdown.
1983	15,000 sheep died from exposure in Portland feedlots before loading.
1984	Ventilation breakdown in the Mukairish Althaleth caused the death of 70 sheep each day.
1985	15,000 sheep died of heat exhaustion on board the Fernanda F.
1989-90	Many Australian shipments rejected due to claims of disease by Saudi Arabia. Death rates on-board soared to an average of 6 per cent during the delays.
1990	The rejected Mawashi Al Gasseem was forced to stay on the water for 16 weeks before a country would accept the sheep.
1990	The "state of the art" Cormo Express left New Zealand for the Middle East in May.
1990	Almost 10,000 sheep died en route when inadequate ventilation caused heat stroke, diseases such as pneumonia, and failure to eat.
1991	At the end of the Gulf war, Australian sheep arrived in war-devastated Kuwait. Some 30,000 sheep died from heat stroke and dehydration due to lack of feedlot facilities.
1991	Published studies show death rates in Middle East feedlots to be, on average, 3 per cent over the 3-week holding period.
1992	Published figures show increased on-board death rates, rising to almost 3 per cent, due mainly to a large number of ships unloading at more than one Middle East port.
1996	67,488 sheep drowned or burned when the Uniceb caught fire on the way to Jordan, and the crew abandoned ship.
1996	1592 cattle drowned when the Guernsey Express sank during bad weather on its way to Japan.
1998	570 cattle on the Charolais Express, 45.5% of the total cargo, died or were slaughtered after being rejected in Jordan.
1998	154 cattle and 283 goats died on the Anomis after a financial dispute delayed unloading.
1999	Up to 800 cattle suffocated when the power failed on the Temburong en route to Indonesia and there was no ventilation in the fully enclosed hold.

Environmental concerns

During the voyage, a large amount of sheep manure accumulates on the floor of the pens. Pens are not cleaned until the sheep have been unloaded, so sheep stand and lie on a mat of manure during the voyage. Once back in international waters, the pens and any surfaces that have been in contact with the sheep are washed with high pressure hoses and a 4% solution of soda ash to meet quarantine requirements ( 1 ).

Given that each sheep produces about 500gr of manure a day, and an average voyage takes around 20 days, a load of 100,000 sheep produces 1000 tonnes of solid waste. This waste is washed into the sea, together with sheep urine and any dead sheep that are thrown overboard ( 1 ), either before or after going through a mincer.

Refrigerated trade to the Middle East

In 1985 the Senate Select Committee on Animal Welfare issued its report on the live sheep trade. It stated that on animal welfare grounds there was enough evidence to stop the trade.

However, the Senate Committee also took into account economic factors, and recommended that the Federal government " promote and encourage the expansion of the refrigerated sheepmeat trade to the Middle East and other countries with the aim of eventually substituting it for the live sheep trade ".

A full 15 years later, this recommendation still hasn't been implemented. The Middle East customers supposedly want live sheep so that they can have freshly killed meat. It is said that they refuse to accept refrigerated carcases. However, several Middle Eastern countries import refrigerated meat instead of, or in addition to, live sheep. The following table shows how exports to Saudi Arabia increased dramatically after the live sheep trade declined in 1989-1990 and then stopped permanently in 1991 ( 7 ).

	1988-9	1989-90	1990-1	1991-2	1992-3
Tonnes	8,180	10,855	17,830	25,075	26,677
LSE*	389,524	516,905	849,048	1,194,048	1,270,033

*LSE means Live Sheep Equivalent, assuming a 21kg carcase. Source AMLC/ABS

Live exports tumbled from a high of 3 million sheep in 1988-9 to zero in 1991-2. In that time exports of carcases to Saudi Arabia more than trebled, making up for around one third of the former live sheep imports. Why has this trend not continued, in order to implement the Senate Committee recommendation and stop the live sheep trade?

Live cattle export

In the past relatively small numbers of cattle were exported, mainly for breeding. However, in the last few years the trade in cattle for feedlotting and slaughter has increased dramatically, as the following table shows ( 10 ).

1990-1	1991-2	1992-3	1993-4	1994-5	1995-6	1996-7	1997-8
94,000	107,400	148,600	234,700	385,700	616,800	863,800	703,600

In the 1998 financial year exports dropped to 510,645 due to the Asian financial crisis and decreased orders from Indonesia in particular.

The main customers now are the Philippines, Malaysia and Egypt. The majority of cattle, around 70%, are exported from Darwin and go to South East Asia. This voyage takes 3-5 days. Cattle exported from southern ports such as Fremantle and Port Adelaide usually go to the Middle East. This voyage takes 12-20 days ( 1 ).

Mortalities for cattle are lower than for sheep. However, in 1996, 0.8% of cattle exported to the Middle East died en route ( 1 ). As in the case of sheep, even the survivors suffer the stresses of long distance transport. Similarly, cattle suffer terribly when accidents happen, for example, when the Guernsey Express sank in 1996 and 1592 cattle drowned, or when the ventilation failed on the Temburong and 800 cattle suffocated.

Live goat export

Small numbers of goats have been exported, mainly to the Middle East, but also to South East Asia. In 1996, 15,633 goats were exported, rising to 24, 930 in 1998 ( 11 ). The trade has been limited because of mortalities even higher than in the sheep trade. On board mortalities can be 6%, mainly due to failure to eat ( 12 ).

A study of goats in a feedlot for 19 days found that 8.8% died ( 12 ). Export goats are usually feral, which means they have never had contact with humans before they are rounded up and trucked long distances to the feedlots. Transport appears to be even more stressful for them than for sheep. More of them fail to adapt to the pellet diet, and die as a result.

Please write a letter to the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, expressing your opposition to the live export trade. Go to Letters to write for suggestions.

I would like to see References for this document on live animal export.

Live export conditions - a case study

New Zealand researchers made detailed observations on a load of 78,533 sheep exported to Saudi Arabia. The voyage was fairly typical, taking 24 days, with an overall mortality of 2.1%. The death rate was lower on open decks (1.8%) than on decks totally enclosed in the hull (2.3%).

The main causes of death were smothering, failure to eat, pneumonia, dehydration, trauma and other causes. Deaths increased steadily as the voyage progressed with the largest number of deaths on day 24.

Troughs were filled with food and water once a day. Fresh water was in short supply towards the end of the voyage, and contained 10% salt on days 17-23, and 40% on day 24.

Only about 15% of the animals in a pen could eat and drink at any one time, so there was intense competition when the troughs were filled. Plunging behaviour was observed at this time, that is, sheep lifted their forefeet off the ground and lunged forward. The researchers described the consequences of this behaviour as follows:
" The intense competition among animals adversely affected welfare. During plunging and pushing episodes, loss of footing occurred which resulted in smothering and suffocation of some animals. Plunging and smothering also occurred during competition for other resources. On one occasion when the hold lights were suddenly extinguished, the sheep moved en masse towards other light sources, resulting in smothering. During periods of high ambient temperature and low wind speed, the sheep moved towards the ventilators. When animal handlers entered the pens, smothering sometimes occurred if the animals moved en masse away from them ".

After day 16, temperatures exceeded 26degC and reached a maximum of 34degC, with humidity of 85%. More animals began to suffer heat stress and to pant with open mouth, 28% of sheep in the enclosed decks panting on the hottest day and 15% on the open decks.

Excrement accumulated on the floor as the voyage progressed, reaching a depth of 15cm in the centre of pens, more around the outside. The ventilation was inadequate to dry out this faecal pad, leaving it wet and sticky on the enclosed decks. Where there were water spillages, there were wet, muddy patches. The researchers noted: " Some animals in muddy areas could not move without assistance ". In other words, they were stuck fast in faeces.

The picture is one of sheep suffering heat and humidity, wet and sticky floors, the smell of ammonia, and the stress of competition for food and water. And as the researchers concluded:
" Life is not over for the sheep at the end of the voyage: discharge, transport, feed lotting and slaughter present further animal welfare challenges ".

H Black, L Matthews & K Bremner, "The behaviour of male lambs transported by sea from New Zealand to Saudi Arabia", New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 1994, vol 42 (16-23)