Australian sheep treated cruelly in the Middle East: footage shows animals being tied, trampled and transported in the boot of a car
- Images show that there is animal abuse
- Sheep are degraded in Oman
- Activists say sheep were Aussie exports
Animal activists have claimed that Australia’s sheep are being mistreated abroad, in violation of government rules to keep supply chains free from abuse.
Australia Animal Advocate Shatha Hamade traveled to Oman in May for a “six week operation” to capture footage of Australian sheep she says are suffering in local markets and slaughterhouses.
“Australian sheep are tied up, their front legs are tied together, their back legs are tied together and they are basically all over the ground between buyers, cattle and goats,” she said on Monday night’s episode of the ABC show 7.30.
“Being trampled, as you can see, being dragged in the back of the car.”
The videos she claims are of Australian sheep in the Middle East and reportedly show the animals “actually slaughtered right next to each other” on bare concrete in barns.
The footage was captured using hidden cameras on the body of animal rights lawyer Shatha Hamade
If the videos are of Australian sheep, the vision would reveal issues with the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS), which was set up in 2011 to prevent the misuse of sheep destined for live export.
ESCAS requires exporters to ensure that animals are handled, sold and slaughtered in approved facilities.
Ms Hamade alleges Australian sheep are sold in non-approved facilities and the animals are mistreated in some approved facilities.
The animals were also shown being put in the trunks of cars for private slaughter.
The activists say the Department of Agriculture has not acted quickly enough to investigate the allegations, an allegation that Secretary of Agriculture Murray Watt denied.
The animals were filmed being slaughtered in the most basic of conditions
Some footage shows sheep being carelessly tied up and thrown into the back of cars
“I understand that the independent regulator has conducted this investigation quickly and well,” he said in the program.
“It has already taken some regulatory action against the exporters concerned. That is pending the final results of that investigation.”
However, Senator Watt agreed that the footage was “deeply concerning” if it was proven that Australian sheep were involved.
“The figures show that there is a very small percentage of cases where the ESCAS regime is not complied with, and that is the case in the vast majority of cases,” he said.
Live animal exports have long been a controversial topic in Australian politics, with the federal government once suspending all live animal exports to Indonesia for six weeks after a Four Corners investigation found animal cruelty.
As activists call for a ban on live animal exports, WA farmers and the state government have warned the Commonwealth that ending the trade would cost $123 million annually and cut 400 jobs across the supply chain.