Last week, the government released draft advice for a new test for measuring animal-welfare standards on board ships that take live sheep to the Middle East, where animals endure abuse and methods of slaughter that would be illegal in Australia.
Every year, Australia exports millions of live animals to countries in the Middle East, forcing them to endure a gruelling trip across the Indian Ocean, sometimes in searing heat, that may take weeks. More than 200 million animals have been crammed onto filthy cargo ships over the last 30 years, and more than 2.5 million of them have been trampled to death or have died from dehydration, starvation, or disease.
As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, the draft advice recommends that these ships be allowed to reach no higher than a wet-bulb temperature of 28 degrees.
Since air temperatures reach over 45 degrees in the Middle East during the summer, such rules could prevent the industry from shipping live sheep for much of the year and may make it no longer financially viable ever to send animals on these terrible voyages of despair.
Final rules are expected by January. Please help by signing PETA’s action alert asking Australia’s federal Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources to reduce the suffering of these gentle, intelligent beings by adopting rules prohibiting ships exporting live animals from travelling during the hottest months of the year.
