Vets Against Live Export
  • Home
  • IO reports
  • High-mortality voyages
  • Media
  • Gov correspondence
  • Scientific & legal
  • Live export Brazil
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Join
  • About
    • In-depth

Industry still equating low mortality with good welfare is NOT OK!

10/7/2020

2 Comments

 
RETWA has claimed the June-July Al Kuwait voyage a success because the heat stress experienced by the sheep apparently wasn't lethal.

This insistence on measuring animal welfare by mortality rates ignores the recommendations of the McCarthy Review and implies a reversion to pre-whistleblower (and pre-historic) animal welfare assessment  by exporters. It disregards the public outcry that followed the Awassi Express whistleblower footage and again neatly hides the suffering that livestock experience at sea.

Sheep Central reports that KLTT would like to see the moratorium shortened: “What is the point in making improvements if it is a fixed moratorium for ever, regardless?”

The answer is, simply, that there were no genuine improvements in animal welfare. Even with stocking densities so low that KLTT made a large financial loss on the voyage, sheep suffered prolonged and intense heat stress. As RSPCA points out, the hottest temperature was experienced at 0100, so even at night there was no respite from heat that far exceeded stress thresholds for several days AND it is likely that panting scores in the daily voyage reports did not reflect the scores at 0100 when the AAV, stockperson and IO were all likely to be in bed (as per IO reports).

And thats just heat stress: there was  pneumonia, infections and injuries, pink eye and contrary to ASEL, the birth of lambs was reported.

The on-voyage image supplied by RETWA doesn't show these sheep. Instead it shows spaced sheep resting recumbent - a natural behaviour that is denied them at financially viable stocking densities.

Hazlehurst backed down. There will be a riot if Littleproud does also. Mortality rates have never been and will never be an acceptable measure of animal welfare!

2 Comments
Craig Bacon
10/7/2020 02:52:26 pm

This trade needs to end today.It’s disgusting and I do not know how you put your head down at night knowingWhat awaits them Innocent animals on arrival

Reply
Julie
12/7/2020 07:20:51 pm

This rubbish focus in morality rates needs to be tackled head on. Yes it is a dated metric . Medieval mindset
Suffering is the indicator, something these profit driven operators prefer not to notice
The ME summer ban is there for a good reason and the unprecedented situation in early June in Australia this year is no reason to change the move towards a more humane regime based on indicators of likely suffering

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All
    Alternatives To Live Export
    Problems With The System

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • IO reports
  • High-mortality voyages
  • Media
  • Gov correspondence
  • Scientific & legal
  • Live export Brazil
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Join
  • About
    • In-depth