Live exports: just five of 38 eligible ships had Australian animal welfare observers

The 2018 Emmanuel Exports scandal, which involved the deaths of 2,400 sheep from heat stress, prompted the former government to set up an independent monitoring program.

Initially at least, observers were deployed to all live export ships, but the program was watered down in 2019. Observers are now only required for higher-risk journeys.

Observers were largely pulled from ships when the pandemic hit in early 2020, and none were sent on ships during 2021 due to Covid-related travel restrictions. The program restarted in May.

But Senate estimates heard last month that just five observers had been sent on ships between May and September. During that period, there were a total of 85 live export voyages, 38 of which were eligible for independent monitoring.

No reports from independent observers have been published from the five journeys. In fact, the last time an independent observer report was published was in June 2020.

The Coalition introduced the requirement for independent observers on live export ships in April 2018 after the release of whistleblower footage from a ship taking sheep from Australia to the Middle East. The sheep were suffering from extreme heat stress.

A whistleblower filmed conditions on the ship and provided the footage to Animals Australia, which showed it to Littleproud.

The department was approached for a response.