3/5 INDEPENDENT Summaries PUBLISHED; ONLY 5/85 VOYAGES HAD AN IO

Australia’s independent live export monitoring program has weakened significantly since resuming from a Covid-related pause. The Guardian reported that Senate estimates heard last month that just five observers had been sent on ships between May and September. Yet during  that period, there were a total of 85 live export voyages, 38 of which were eligible for independent monitoring. Eleven of the 38 eligible ships went to China, where ongoing Covid restrictions prevented observers from boarding. Others reasons were that there was “insufficient cabin space” or that “there isn’t space available, because something is happening on the vessel”, ....most convenient it would seem with any excuse of "something" being good enough.

Anyhow, 3/5 IO Summaries are up - 2 were seemingly perfect cattle voyages, albeit on one ship, a stockperson couldnt diagnose most of the causes of death (no surprises, they dont have vet training and Dept has ignored VALE's request for a vet on every ship made now for 10 years). However, what is worse is the Depts assessment and responses of observations on the Al Messilah - up to 5% of sheep with open mouth panting but that was OK because if the sheep were scared (ie with humans coming close), they shut their mouths for a while....really???? did no-one in the Dept have to study any fundamentals of animal behaviour (not to mention pathophysiology of heat stress)?? So its same old, same old, with Dept cover up or incompetence and... heat stress occurring in May as predicted by the AVA Report in 2018 - sheep shouldnt be sailing between May and October!