Report: Observer Program Failing Australian Sheep

A report released by Australia’s Inspector-General of Animal Welfare and Live Animal Exports highlights ongoing and systemic failures within Australia’s Independent Observer program designed to provide independent reporting of animal welfare at sea.

The program was established after the 2017 death of over 2,400 sheep on the livestock carrier Awassi Express (now Anna Mara). The sheep died of heat stress, and in 2018, television footage aired from this and four other voyages widely undermined public confidence in the treatment of animals in the livestock export trade.

The Inspector-General’s report concludes that the Independent Observer Program, implemented in 2018, does not appear to provide acceptable levels of assurance regarding the health and welfare of livestock.

“This makes a mockery of any claim from live exporters that they’re effectively regulated,” said RSPCA Australia Chief Science Officer Dr Suzie Fowler.

RSPCA notes that available data demonstrates ongoing animal welfare issues including 80% of reports indicating sheep starving on board and at least 60% reporting heat stress.

From April 2018 to May 2023 observers were only present on 53 out of 172 live sheep export journeys.

“To quote the report, the fact that Independent Observers are not being deployed on most voyages that meet the criteria for a deployment is evidence that the program’s assurance objectives are not being met,” says Fowler.

She says the Independent Observer program is failing to provide that much-needed transparency. “For example, Independent Observer footage released under FOI this year from a voyage in 2018 showed several serious sheep welfare issues including indicators of severe heat stress — a very different picture to footage posted on social media by the live exporters at the time from the same voyage.

“Rather than being transparent about this and releasing the Independent Observer footage, the regulator and the live export industry fought tooth and nail to keep the footage secret. It was only after a lengthy battle that the RSPCA won access to the footage, six years later.

Australia has legislated for the phase out the live export of sheep by May 1, 2028, in favor of a chilled and boxed meat trade.