The Death Files

Cattle and Sheep Suffer and Die During Export from Australia 1981 - 2009
A report from the files of Animals Australia
[9th Edition]

Australia exports millions of cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, deer and camels around the world for slaughter and (to a lesser extent) breeding. The vast majority go by sea in journeys that last up to 3 weeks. These long haul journeys cause stress, injuries, illnesses and disease, and tens of thousands of animals (mainly sheep) die each year.

After the stress of transportation, all the surviving animals face death on foreign soil, most in countries which have no animal welfare laws or, at best, inadequate laws. They will almost all be killed without pre-stunning and often without adequate restraint facilities. The result is inherent and on-going suffering. A report of Animals Australia’s investigations of the treatment of Australian (and other) animals in Middle Eastern countries is available here.

This report documents the mortality figures.   The ongoing 'incidents' that inevitably accompany the trade in live animals over such long distances - to the Northern Hemisphere in the case of many shipments - is documented in the Litany of Disasters page.

History

In 1985 the Australian Senate Select Committee on Animal Welfare (SSCAW) condemned the live sheep export trade on animal welfare grounds, but anticipated that economic and other factors would demand its continuation. The SSCAW concluded that, 'if a decision were to be made on the future of the trade purely on animal welfare grounds, there is enough evidence to stop the trade'.
The SCCAW recommended that the Federal Government promote and encourage the expansion of the refrigerated sheep meat trade to the Middle East and other countries, with the aim of eventually substituting it for the live sheep trade.

About 25 years on, and several critical reports and documented evidence of the horrific handling and slaughter of Australian animals in the Middle East later, the trade in live animals for slaughter overseas continues. Even 'routine' mortality rates remain unacceptably high with tens of thousands of animals dying on the ships each year (see statistics below).
From our files we document the terrible record established by Australian exporters…

Sheep Exports

Most deaths occur at Sea
The majority of deaths recorded in the live sheep trade occur during the sea voyage. Of these deaths, 47 per cent are due to ‘failure to eat’ the pellet diet (referred to in government publications as "shy-feeding syndrome" or "inanition" or "failure to eat") despite the feedlotting period prior to loading (older sheep and those animals coming from green pastures are less likely to switch successfully to the pellet diet). A large portion of the deaths are due to salmonellosis - mostly aggravated by inadequate feed intake.
In summary –

Causes of death aboard ship:-

Inanition 47%
Salmonellosis 26.9 %
Miscellaneous 13.9 %
Trauma 12.2%
Ref - Live sheep export industry, Journal of Agriculture, WA 31(3): 131-148, 1990 (Reviewed/updated April 2003)

Fewer sheep die onboard (due to inanition) if they are younger and/or leaner as those sheep have a higher drive to eat the alien pelleted food. Thus, with the demand by ME importing countries (particularly Saudi Arabia) for younger sheep, several severe droughts in Australia, and the (forced) upgrading of ventilation and other sheep carrier standards, mortality ‘rates’ have trended downwards since 2002 and 2003 (in the absence of major disasters), but have stabilized over the last few years. Tens of thousands of animals still die on board a ship every year.

Despite public and Government pressure, the live exporters have failed to significantly address the problem of failure to eat, and the inevitable suffering caused though salmonella, diarrhea and major organ failure when animals fail to adjust to the shipboard environment. In 2006 almost 39,000 sheep were reported as mortalities on board - about 7 times the rate similar classes of sheep would die on the farm. Most become sick and die in their crowded pen; few are killed by crew, stockman or the single veterinarian onboard.

And they die upon arrival too!
After the sheep ship has arrived at its destination, and is stationary with air flow at a minimum, high temperatures and humidity may take their toll, particularly where unloading occurs at several ports, or where inadequate facilities slow the unloading rate.

Upon unloading, some sheep may be taken straight to the slaughterhouse, some will be sold for home slaughter, and in several countries most will be feedlotted again. Further sheep die in feedlots prior to slaughter (the only study available – from 1991 - found 3% of sheep died and more went for emergency slaughter due to illness).

Disasters - In addition to the ‘routine’ death of sheep on board livestock carriers – many ships run into trade disputes, storms, heat and humidity extremes, ventilation or other facility breakdown, and thousands more animals suffer and die. See Litany of Disasters for a list of those ‘disaster’ voyages that have become public knowledge, such as the 10 week ‘voyage’ of death’ endured by 57,000 sheep on the Cormo Express, rejected by Saudi Arabia and subsequently by over 15 other countries in 2003.

Sheep Statistics: Mortality 1981-2008

Australia to the Middle East [includes loading, voyage, discharge].*

1981 - 2005: 2,463,938 deaths
2006: 36,408 deaths
2007: 36,550 deaths
2008: 34,974 deaths

*Estimate based on official death rates provided. Very small numbers to other countries including Mexico, Pakistan and South East Asia included.

Cattle Exports

In addition to the table of reported mortalities below, Animals Australia understands that the 'rejection’ of unhealthy cattle in the Middle East, particularly Bos Taurus (European breeds, sent mainly from Southern Australian ports) is common, and there are incidents where animals die soon after arrival whilst still in quarantine feedlots (see ‘incidents’ below). The figures below are the 'official' statistics compiled from the ship Master's Reports.

Cattle Export mortalities on board ships: 1995 - 2008

1. Cattle Exported from Australia to South East Asia region (mainly to Indonesia, less than 10 day voyages)

1995 - 2005: 5,730 deaths
2006: 402 deaths
2007: 516 deaths
2008: 614 deaths

2. Cattle Exported from Australia and mortalities on board ships to the Middle East and North Africa region (long-haul voyages)

1995 - 2005: 9,154 deaths
2006: 620 deaths
2007: 141 deaths
2008: 348 deaths

Tens of thousands of cattle are also sent to other countries in various parts of the world.

We can count the dead, but no-one can measure the suffering of those animals who endure such long trips, only to be brutally handled and slaughtered without pre-stunning.

Note: All figures compiled by Animals Australia from Dept of Transport records, and since 1989 from Western Australian Department of Agriculture Summary Information.