In yet another unpredictable twist for this voyage that goes every which way (Fremantle to Israel, oops no...South Africa...oops no ....Fremantle....to Israel..oops no?, the MV Bahijah is now anchored in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. WHY? HOW MANY DAYS WILL THIS ADD TO THE ALREADY UNTHINKABLY LONG VOYAGE? Needless to say, the Dept have not commented on this deviation from plan.

Number of cattle on ship: 2400 (Sydney Morning Herald) vs 3300 (more likely, Beef Central) vs "not saying" (Dept of Ag)
Number of cattle dead: 151 (Sydney Morning Herald) vs 100 (Beef Central) vs 8 (ship's master in the mortality report - according to the Indonesians who are not happy about it - Sydney Morning Herald) vs "not saying" (Dept of Ag).
Number of cattle simultaneously dying in the export yards - split consignment  - 50 (Beef Central).
Purported cause of death - botulism (despite apparently being vaccinated cattle - Beef Central) but NT CVO said "caution about diagnosis" and that botulism is one of "the more likely diagnoses" whilst one longterm NT cattle producer who had "lived experience of botulism: stated: "It is very difficult to believe that 100 head cattle die in a few days of botulism without having significant symptoms prior to the voyage" (ABC NT Country Hour).
Transparency - Mr Harvey-Sutton from ALEC stated: "It was the exporter that self-reported this. They've been very clear and transparent about this issue all the way through" (ABC)....not to mention they are required to by law... vs "not saying" (Dept of Ag) vs Masters Report purportedly stating that only 8 cattle were dead (Sydney Morning Herald). 

So, same old same old. No-one knows anything, rumours fly, Dept unhelpful and industry pat themselves on the back about transparency. Nothing changes in this space.

Sources:
ABC NT Country Hour: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/nt-country-hour/chief-vet-nt-cattle-deaths-on-live-export-ship/103641020
Beef Central: https://www.beefcentral.com/live-export/source-of-mystery-illness-behind-nt-cattle-deaths-still-being-investigated/
Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/indonesia-suspends-live-cattle-imports-from-darwin-export-yard/ar-BB1kH0oP
ABC: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-26/cattle-die-in-live-export-to-indonesia/103633064

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has come out strongly in response to the latest high mortality voyage to state the long held policy of the organisation: "that when live export of animals by sea occurs, an Australian Accredited Veterinarian must accompany each shipment."

Moreover the AVA was critical of the regulation of the trade: The AVA believes that the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) regulatory controls are deficient, as they allow exporters to apply for an exemption from having an Australian Accredited Veterinarian on board short haul voyages, such as the one involving the Brahman Express."

AVA President Dr Diana Barker stated: “This is not acceptable.  Veterinarians must be onboard all live export voyages, irrespective of length, to protect the health and welfare of animals on the ship.”

VALE has long held the same view and their is no doubt that Australian veterinarians have consensus on this issue: THERE MUST BE VETS ON ALL SHIPS.

AVA Statement: https://www.ava.com.au/media-centre/death-of-over-100-cattle-on-live-export-ship-reinforces-the-need-for-veterinarians-on-every-voyage/

The ABC has reported that more than 100 Australian cattle have died on a live export ship (the MV Brahman Express) to Indonesia. This will make it one of the highest mortality rates reported on an Australian shorthaul cattle shipment (7.69% on the GL Kaihou maiden voyage still likely to be the worst since 2006 if we assume 4000 cattle for this ship and 100/4000 = 2.5%).

DAFF has confirmed "a number of cattle deaths" (and would not confirm the number) were reported and is investigating it but says no exotic diseases involved. Lets hope DAFF also remembers to monitor the post-voyage mortality rates for this high mortality voyage.

The Bahijah has crossed the Equator from the South Atlantic into the North Atlantic Ocean. Fortunately for the sheep, the exporter and the Dept, temperatures were incredibly mild. Sending sheep with >25mm wool across the Equator at any time of year is never a great idea (thus why ASEL says it shouldnt happen ...unless the Dept can have their arms twisted hard up behind their backs to come up with some explanation as to how heat stress can be avoided.

But spare a thought for the animal fatigue and read the latest paper on the issue: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal-welfare/article/sheep-fatigue-during-transport-lost-in-translation/19E703921F7DE1C2E9AE442516285CDC

The sheep prepared for the original voyage on the Bahijah in Dec 2023/Jan 2024 met ASEL wool length. Two months later, with no shearing done, some of the sheep that were photographed on the  trucks to Fremantle Port this weekend were unequivocally woolly and non compliant with ASEL (see photo below). And it will be worse by the time they cross the Equator (wool does keep growing).
The Assistant Secretary Andrew McDonald assured VALE that all would be compliant with the Export Control Act 2020. Does this mean ASEL cant be enforced under the Export Control Act 2020?

The Bahijah has just left Fremantle Port, bound for Israel via one of the most treacherous seas in the world, the Cape of Good Hope. At least 35 days on the ship. And most of these animals have already been on the ship for 42 days, unloaded given a mere 16-17 days off the ship....at a feedlot much of it during a Perth heatwave...and now they are on again. This is a very very dark day for this already terrible industry.
VALE cannot put it much better than Dr Suzie Fowler for the RSPCA.
Dr Fowler said that this whole saga has shown that the industry’s definition of ‘good’ or ‘acceptable’ animal welfare is very different from what animal welfare science tells us. “In what world is it acceptable to keep animals standing in their own waste for 30+ days? “In what world is it acceptable to force them to endure motion sickness, heat stress and constant noise and light? “And in what world is it acceptable to, just weeks later, make them do it all again?”

See: https://www.rspca.org.au/latest-news/media-centre/mv-bahijah-re-export-decision-unacceptable-rspca/?fbclid=IwAR1XwNfeZEbjOX_ejlr_MBOOhH2hFYTRhBG33dSTGbLd2hUSuxvwhI9dTeE

The MV Bahijah is back in Fremantle Port and expected to load within the next 24h.
It should be noted that for cattle, the original voyage, had it been extended as the exporters requested, without unloading, could well have resulted in a high mortality voyage (see explanation below). However, for all animals, the initial time from first loading to end of unloading in Israel, will be the longest cumulative voyage ever undertaken from Australia. An absolute disgrace that should never have been permitted by the Australian Dept of Ag.

POTENTIAL FOR HIGH MORTALITY VOYAGE
The Dept of Ag Update on 14 February 2024 (https://www.agriculture.gov.au/about/news/mv-bahijah-live-updates) stated that "All livestock from the MV Bahijah have been discharged and taken by truck from Fremantle Port to appropriate premises in Western Australia. Since 5 January 2024, total mortalities stand at 4 (0.18%) cattle and 64 (0.45%) sheep on board the MV Bahijah, which are below the reportable mortality levels, and 7 cattle and 6 sheep on land.”
If 4 cattle = 0.18% then the consignment had somewhere between 2170 and 2230 cattle onboard. Unless the cattle died due to misadventure (such as broken leg) on the truck or feedlot (some cattle unloaded before 12th Feb due to vessel  space constraints)  then it is possible even likely that they would have died on board had the voyage been allowed to sail to Israel as the exporters requested. Picking a mid range cattle number eg 2200 and using 11 mortalities, the total “voyage” mortality rate by 14th Feb could well have been 0.5% (ie a high mortality voyage) had it been allowed to proceed. This voyage likely went very close to the wire with 4 of those 7 cattle mortalities on land reported by Australian media at the time to have died on the trucks at the first unloading (ie likely already sick when removed from boat thus not added to boat mortality numbers).