Independent Observer Summaries

VALE has compiled all the Independent (IO) Summaries and any IO Reports (the detailed copy supplied to the Dept ) obtained under FOI (Freedom of Information) to analyse the voyages and DAWR/Dept of Ag/DAFF transparency.

Every single report states: "The causes of the mortalities were not considered to be linked to any systemic failure by the exporter." Inanition in sheep is not an exporter failure (when they dont use feed marker bars to ID these sheep before sailing). Likewise sailing into predictable heat, humidity or cyclones is not a systemic failure. Failure to load enough food? pregnant animals? These reports reveal the Dept at its brilliant, creative and unbelievable best!

It should be noted that as of August 2020, 30% of published voyages to China had insufficient food and as of Sept 2019, 13% of ME voyages likewise had insufficient food. Without IO reports, these stats would never be known. Also note there are vets on ME voyages but on very few other voyages and that where vets not present, causes of death are often not identified.
The times taken to publish the IO Summaries are mostly unacceptable and at the time of 25.2.2024, the Dept had failed to complete the last 5 IO Summaries - from May 2023 (9 months prior) to Sept 2023 (5 months prior).

Re abbreviations: DAWR was rebadged as DAWE, then Department of Agriculture and is now called DAFF.

The 2024 IGLAE Review into the IO Program is now available: see document
VALE's Summary of the relevant points of the IGLAE Review: see document

Report 1: April 2018 MV Maysora; Adelaide, Fremantle, Turkey; 29 days; sheep mortality 0.43%; cattle mortality 0.11%; 11 days of mild to severe heat stress noted in sheep and cattle (even pastoral cattle) but no mention in IO SUMMARY. Poor feed quality. One lamb born but not noted in IO Summary.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
IO FOI DOCUMENT: see document
VALE COMMENTS: see document

Report 2: May 2018; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE; 19 days; sheep mortality 0.34%; cattle mortality 0; 16 days of 'energy draining' panting (ie heat stress) noted in sheep but the IO did not refer to heat stress and nor did the IO SUMMARY. IO did not use routine Panting Score. Daily voyage reports (AAV) record 0 panting and 0 heat stress. Ship temperatures not included and only taken once daily in the morning (present in Daily Voyage Reports). 15-20 pregnant ewes noted by IO but not in Daily Voyage Reports.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
IO FOI DOCUMENTS: see document
VALE COMMENTS: see document
DAILY VOYAGE REPORTS FOI: reports from Messilah (IO2) and Shuwaikh (IO7) in one document: see document

Report 3: May 2018; MV Bader III; Adelaide, Fremantle, Israel, Jordan; 30 days; 0.27% sheep mortality (169 sheep ); 0.26% cattle mortality (15 cattle). 6 lambs born and 3 survived. Heat stress from Day 3. There is no mention of "heat stress" in the official IO summary despite it being noted in live sheep and that it was a documented cause of cattle deaths. Day 16 had 34 degrees Celcius wet bulb temperature. For Merino sheep, the DAWR's heat stress threshold is 30.6 and its mortality limit is 35.5. 
And the DAWR accidentally omitted handing over some relevant pages from the IO notes for May 19 obtained under FOI: see direct image below!
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
IO FOI DOCUMENTS: see document 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
VALE SUMMARY FOI DOCUMENTS: see document
VALE COMMENT: official summary vs FOI documents

Report 4: May 2018; MVYangtze Fortune; Fremantle to Oman; 18 days. Sheep only and 0.30% mortality (46). Significant heat stress occurred from Day 5 for an unspecified duration. No mention in IO summary that there were issues with the ventilation and that the AMSA generator was required. Twin lambs were born but euthanased due to expected high heat in feedlot. The description "heat stress" did not appear in the IO SUMMARY.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
IO FOI DOCUMENTS: see document
VALE COMMENT: see document
RELEVANT SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE: VOYAGE A in attached document

Report 5: May 2018; MV Gudali Express; Fremantle to Hon La, Vietnam; 11 days. Cattle only (2410) and 0.25% mortality (6). IO Summary remarkable for its complete lack of detail. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 6: May 2018; MV Awassi Express/ MV Anna Marra; Broome, Panjang, Jakarta, Pasir Gudang; 14 days; 0.03% cattle mortality (3). Panting in pastoral cattle at rest but no heat stress recorded. Hose and trough leaks. Vet onboard (atypical for shorthaul).
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 7: May 2018, MV Al Shuwaikh; Adelaide, Fremantle, Kuwait, Hamad, Jebel Ali; 30 days (from Adelaide), 24 days (from Fremantle); sheep mortality from Adelaide 0.98% (563); overall sheep mortality (0.88%); cattle mortality 0; sheep mortality from Fremantle 0.39% (46); cattle mortality 0. Heat stress occurred and deaths due to smothering. On numerous occasions, animals in some pens were left without water overnight. Food quality was quite poor on some decks and mouldy food was sometimes present in both sheep and cattle troughs. Sheep deprived of fresh food for 30-32 hours. Inaccurate sheep numbers loaded. Heat stress scored as normal each day on the daily voyage reports (with the exception of one day on Deck 5 and one day on Deck 3). This voyage was only one month after the 60 Minutes program!
IO SUMMARY REPORT: not available until 2019; see document
IO FOI DOCUMENT: see document
VALE COMMENT: see document
DAILY VOYAGE REPORTS FOI: reports from Messilah (IO2) and Shuwaikh (IO7) in one document. See document

NOTE 1: The FOI documents are heavily redacted but critical comments still remain. The sheep number from Adelaide is erroneous with 275 MORE sheep being unloaded than possible. The 0.98% figure thus cannot be accepted as being correct: it could be an under-estimate (if extra sheep loaded to cover possible deficits) OR, it could be an over-estimate (if the number of sheep loaded was truly less than stated). Number discrepancies for this exporter have been evident on other high mortality and routine mortality voyages.
NOTE 2: one source of avoidable heat was discovered by the IO and not by the AAV (8 years experience) or the stockman (25 years of experience).

 Report 8: May 2018; MV Maysora; Fremantle, Turkey; 21 days. Sheep mortality 0.23% (155). Cattle mortality 0. Heat stress occurred but the words heat stress not mentioned in the IO SUMMARY. 6 lambs born - not recorded in the IO SUMMARY.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
IO FOI DOCUMENTS: see document
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 9: June 2018; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle, Kuwait, QATAR, UAE; 21 days; sheep mortality rate 0.53% (306); cattle mortality 0. Heat stress of uncertain duration described and illustrated with photos also but no mention of heat stress in the IO SUMMARY and no representative photos included. Blind sheep unloaded for transport in the Middle East.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
IO FOI DOCUMENTS: see document
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 10: June 2019; MV Bahijah; Fremantle, Israel; 22 days;  sheep mortality 0.18% (17); cattle mortality  0.03% (1). This was the first voyage and heat stress described in the IO Summary. After this report, the DAWR never included "heat stress" as a description in any summary. Note from FOI: IO recorded higher RR than AAV and a large quantity of alcohol brought on board this dry ship (1 carton of beer provided by exporter).
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
IO FOI DOCUMENTS: see document
VALE COMMENTS: see document

Report 11: June 2018; MV Jawan; Broome, Panjang (Indonesia); 8 days. Cattle only and 0 mortality. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 12: July 2018, MV Yangtze Fortune; Portland to Ningbo (China); 20 days (16 predicted and food for 19); high mortality voyage with 1.51% (33/2192)  cattle mortality. Main cause of death heat stress. Heat stress Day 5 to Day 20. Ship infrastructure poor: water and food troughs knocked off, water hoses of domestic use quality (!) so broke/split and no spares, drainage issues etc. AMSA required issues rectified on return."The animals had plenty of space and ventilation was good; there was simply no relief from hot and humid conditions" wrote the AAV (vet) in EOV Report.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
FOI DOCUMENTS FOR THE VOYAGE: see documents
VALE COMMENT: The Department suspended Phoenix’s Approved Arrangement to China, and did not allow them to export until they changed their animal sourcing and plans. Rare move for the Dept indicating severity of the event.
MEDIA COMMENT: see live-sheep-export-row-hits-cattle-ship-that-fails-inspection-leaving-fremantle
HIGH MORTALITY INVESTIGATION REPORT 74: see report

Report 13: July 2018, MV Jawan, Broome to Panjang and Jakarta; 9 days; cattle mortality 0.06% (2/6164). No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: no report of how and when temperatures recorded (the only report at this time not to do so) and only 50% cattle could lie down at one time.

Report 14: August 2018; MV Jawan; 6342 cattle form Broome to Indonesia; 7 days; cattle mortality 0.06% (4 mortalities). No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENTS: see document

Report 15: August 2018; MV Gudali Express; Broome, Panjang, Belawan; 11 days. Cattle only. 0.08% (3) mortality. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 16: August 2018; MVYangtze Harmony; Fremantle to Huanghua, China; 14 days; 0.13% (3/2190) cattle. AMSA found ventilation issues before leaving that required correction. IO noted issues with water troughs. Understocked but some pens still exceeded ASEL. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
MEDIA COMMENT: see live-sheep-export-row-hits-cattle-ship-that-fails-inspection-leaving-fremantle

Report 17: August 2018; MV Gloucester Express; Geelong to China; 20 days; 0.03% cattle mortality (1). Two significant breaches of ASEL: insufficient food loaded for a 20 day voyage; one late pregnant heifer loaded (and died giving birth).
IO SUMMARY REPORT: See report
VALE COMMENT: See comment

High Mortality Voyage 75:  No veterinarian onboard. No mention of an independent observer - so IO not present on all ships.
See: http://www.vale.org.au/high-mortality-voyages.html

Report 18: August 2018; MV Jawan; Portland to Qinhuangdao, China; 23 days. 0.22%(14/6226) cattle mortality. Not enough swawdust. Boggy pens. Water deprivation on occasion. Heat stress with open mouth panting and drooling. "The livestock medicine room was unhygienic with dirty floors, cupboards and fridge. Medicines were stored at temperatures above the label recommendations. Injection guns had broken dirty needles. Under dosing with antibiotics and poor administration technique of drugs was observed." No vet. Report took 14 months.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 19: September 2018; MV Ocean Swagman; Portland to China (port unspecified); 20 days; breeder cattle 0.06% (4/6841) mortality. Thin sawdust bedding for breeder dairy cattle at first washdown; thick cover of bedding applied just before China. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 20: September 2018, MV Bahijah, Fremantle to Eilat, Israel; 20 days; 0.07% (4/5907) cattle mortality. Appears to be no bedding in pens on Day 1. Out of spec cattle loaded.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

 Report 21:Sept 2018; MV Maysora; Fremantle to Israel and Jordan; 24 days; 0.13% (28/21337) sheep mortality; 0.07% (7/9987) cattle mortality. Report dated Oct 2019. Report not released till Feb 2020, 16 months after voyage end. Heat stress. Animals deprived of water. Pilot sheep deprived of water. Cattle euthanased incorrectly. 1 lamb born. Numerous breaches. No wonder they didnt want anyone to see this one.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 22: September/October 2018; MV Gloucester Express; Fremantle to Huanghua, China; 14 days; 0.05% cattle mortality (1/1,952); report released 11 months after voyage. No reporting of WBT - heat stress likely to have been present given pad conditions. No mention of WBT or panting scores. No washdown in 14 days despite poor pad conditions. Problems with ventilation (exhaust fumes into hold 3). No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 23: October 2018; MV Ganado Express;Portland, Beihai (China);18 days. Cattle only; 0.03% (1/3863) mortality. High heat and humidity for voyage with no mention of actual WBT or panting scores. No vet. A useless IO report with no details of anything - crew numbers, washdowns, temperatures, humidity, pad conditions. IO not worth their pay on this one!
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

Reports 24: October 2018,  MV Gudali Express, Broome to Jakarta; 6 days; 0/3187 cattle mortality. Uneventful voyage. At least 50% cattle could lie down at once. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 25: October 2018, MV Awassi Express, Broome to Panjang and Belawan; 14 days; 0.06% (7/12250) cattle mortality. Max WBT 32°C. Little information of note in summary. Main cause of mortality: pneumonia. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 26: October 2018, MV Girolando Express; Portland to TIanjin (China); 19 days; 0.23% (8/3436) cattle mortality. Photos: Friesian dairy cows. 90-100% could lie down and no issues noted. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 27: October 2018, MV Ganado Express, Darwin to Hon La (Vietnam); 12 days; 0.12% (2/1736) cattle mortality, 0.2% (1/500) buffalo mortality. Healing dehorning wounds on 4 buffalo so possibly loaded contrary to ASEL ("no bleeding horn stumps"). No issues noted. Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 28:  October 2018, MV Shorthorn Express;  Broome to Panjang; 7 days. 0/A 2,860 cattle. No issues noted. No detailed of heat and humidity provided. >50% of cattle could lie down. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 29:Nov 2018, Bahijah, Fremantle to Israel in November 2018; 21 days; 0.03% (2/6582) cattle mortality. Report dated Sept 2018, 2 months BEFORE voyage!!
Not uploaded on Dept website until after Sept 2019. Apart from some pens not being fed to ASEL (not listed as a non-compliance), few issues noted, so what delayed this report over 12 months?
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 30: November 2018; MV Galloway Express; Townsville to Jakarta; 10 days; 0/3610 cattle mortality. No issues noted and no temperature details provided. Temperature readings once daily at 1am and pens near fuel tanks and engine rooms noticeably warmer.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 31: November 2018,  MV Yangtze Harmony, Fremantle to Muscat (Oman); 16 days; 0.24% (36/14788) sheep mortality. No information on heat (10am monitoring). Insufficent food for voyage. Water hygiene issues. Judas sheep deprived of food and water. FOI would be beneficial.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document
RELEVANT SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE: see Voyage B in attached document

Report 32: Nov 2018; MV Maysora; Fremantle to Eilat and Aqaba; 26 days; 0.23% (96/41301) sheep mortality; 0.07% (5/7489 cattle mortality). No mention of heat stress but likely given temperatures and  vessel zigzagging. Animals not euthanased in a timely fashion and recumbent cattle inadequate care. Treatments not well reported. Lambing not mentioned on daily voyage reports. Usual food and water deprivation for pilot sheep on this vessel. Concerns re veterinarian Report Feb 2020.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: pending. Temperatures were around 25°C and 72% humidity early in the voyage rising to around 31–32°C and 79–83% humidity.

Report 33: November 2018, MV Greyman Express; Townsville to Vietnam; 12 days; 0.16 % (4/2437) cattle mortality. Cattle with trucking injuries loaded (ASEL non-compliance). Trough design issues. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 34: Nov 2018; MV Bison Express; Fremantle to Vietnam; 19 days; 0.22% (4/1827) cattle mortality. Vessel mechanical issues. High WBT but no mention of heat stress. Some infrastructure issues. No vet. Report Oct 2019
IO SUMMARY: report-34.pdf
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 35: November 2018; MV Rahmeh; Darwin to Panjang; 10 days; 0.05% (3/438) buffalo mortality; 0.45% (2/5935) cattle mortality. Deck 4 a known hot deck so more space. No vet.  Report 9 months later
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 36; November 2018; MV Al Shuwaikh; Fremantle to Kuwait, Qatar and UAE; 25 days; 0. 26% (153/58886) sheep; 0% (0/312 cattle mortality. Benign conditions. Temperatures measured 4 hourly. IO missed one episode of minor non‐compliant handling of two sheep (picked up by Dept on video and actually reported!).
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 37: November 2018; MV Shorthorn Express; Broome to Jakarta, Indonesia; 8 days; 0.03% (1/2875) cattle mortality. No issues identifiable from report. >50% of animals able to lie down suggests that not all could in all pens. No vet. Report 9 months later
IO SUMMARY: see report

Reports 38: Nov 2018; MV Dareen, Fremantle to Port Cai Lan (Vietnam); 16 days; 0.30% (15/4976) cattle mortality. Ventilation issues on Decks 4 and 5. WBT data not included and no details of heat stress but possibly present as cattle calmer after being washed down. No vet. Report took 12 months
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 39: November 2018, MV Girolando Express, Darwin to Indonesia; 8 days; mortality 0.05% (2/3353) cattle. Temperatures taken once daily at 10am. Heat and humidity data not provided. No issues noted in IO summary. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report

Report 40: November 2018, MV Ocean Ute; Portland to Tianjin, China; 22 days; 0.84% (47/5606) mortality breeder cattle. Voyage 6 days longer than expected. Not enough food. Extreme weather variation from freezing to exceeding the HST. Rough seas. No mention of heat stress despite WBT 30°C. Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Reports 41: November 2018, MV Ganado Express; Townsville to Phu My (Vietnam); 12 days; 0.12% (3/2507) cattle mortality. 6 captive bolt shots required for 2 of those cattle. Experienced stockperson! No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: report-41.pdf
VALE COMMENT: vale_comment_io_41_townsville_to_vietnam_nov_2018.pdf

Report 42: November 2018, MV Anna Marra (formerly Awassi Express before 60 Minutes exposure); Townsville to Indonesia; 16 days; 0.08% (14/17450) cattle mortality. VENTILATION ISSUES IDENTIFIED. Vet onboard (atypical but seems to be required on Awassi Express voyages). Report 9 months later.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 43: November 2018, MV Ocean Swagman; Fremantle to Vietnam; 11 days; 0.12% (5/4251) cattle mortality. No heat stress reported but cattle congregated near fans and pens reportedly boggy on occasions. Rough seas encountered. No vet. Report 9 months later.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report

Report 44: December 2018; MV Rahmeh;  Portland to Huanghua (China); 24 days; 0.09% (6/6376) cattle mortality. Inadequate space allowance. Deck 4 issues not noted despite being noted by IO35 and IO63; only general comment re decks near engine room - raises concerns re IO accuracy. Necropsies not done on all animals. Vet onboard (atypical for China voyages).
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 45: December 2018, MV Yangtze Fortune; Geraldton to Indonesia and Malaysia; 13 days; 0.2% (1/5175) cattle mortality. Inadequate space allowance. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 46: December 2018, MV Girolando Express, Darwin to Panjang; 7 days; 1.14% (2/174) buffalo and 0.03% (1/3253) cattle mortality. Overstocking of pens by 2 animals in a small number of pens (not noted to be non compliant with ASEL). WBT 28-29°C. Mild heat stress possible as  cattle and buffalo had mildly elevated respiratory rates during the voyage but there was no panting or gasping. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 47: Dec 2018; Al Messilah; Fremantle to Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates; 22 days; 0.2% (130/65602) sheep mortality; 0/312 cattle mortality. Heat stress for 3 days but no Pant Score 3. Report 9 months later. Photo of 17.5% space allowance with all sheep lying down shows animals have to lie on one another (ie with the "generous" new space allocation).
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see reportvale_comment_on_io_47_al_messilah_to_kuwait.pdf

Report 48: December 2018; MV Bison Express; Fremantle to Huanghua (China); 24 days; 0.14% (2/1477) cattle mortality. Some heat stress noted. Extreme temperature variation: DBT: 31°C to below 0°C at unloading. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 49: December 2018, MV Greyman Express, Darwin to Hai Phong (Vietnam); 9 days (date of discharge given incorrectly as Dec 2019); 0.07% (2/2534) cattle mortality. No details provided of temperature (10am reading only) or cause of mortalities. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 50: December 2018; MV Bahijah; Fremantle to Eilat; 21 days; 0.23% (18/7660) sheep mortality; 0.27% (12/4391) cattle mortality. Overstocking; weights greater than load plan; rough seas; lamenesses; daily reports by AAV did not accurately record the developing lamenesses; ammonia in some sheep decks. Mild heat stress.
IO SUMMARY: see report provided in Feb 2020.
VALE COMMENT:see report

Report 51: December 2018; MV Dareen; Townsville to Hai Phong, Vietnam, 14 days; 0.82% (35/4265) cattle mortality. Close to mortality limit. Likely lower deck ventilation issues as identified in IO 38). Downer cattle with no cause identified. No vet onboard. Report took 11 months
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 52: December 2018; MV Jawan; Portland to Oman and Pakistan. After travelling a short distance the vessel developed stability issues and returned to the dock in Portland at 6:10am so voyage only a few hours. Cattle unloaded. Date of voyage interesting as this vessel also had stability issues noted twice in November - was this the third attempt? Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
Media coverage: many reports including VALE blogs (http://www.vale.org.au/blog/wildly-rolling-ship-highlights-the-inherently-risky-business and http://ww.vale.org.au/blog/alec-distances-itself-from-near-capsize-of-the-jawan)

Report 53: December 2018; Ocean Swagman; Fremantle to Vietnam; 16 days; 0.02% mortality (2/4335 cattle). Uneventful voyage with no problems detectable from this summary. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report

Reports 54:  December 2018; MV Anna Marra ; Darwin to to Indonesia; 13 days; 0.05% (7/15314) cattle mortality. Calving on Day 7. Problems with trough access. Vet onboard - surprising for Viet voyage.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 55: Dec 2018; MV Shorthorn Express, Portland to Jintang, China; 22 days; 0.25% (8/3234) cattle mortality. IO Summary not available till Feb 2020. Insufficient food and water due to voyage duration, weather and poor planning. Heat stress with concurrent water deprivation. Extreme temperature variation. Some pen overstocking. Crew standard poor. Stockperson caring but incompetent - food rationing not managed and drug hygiene inadequate. Euthanasia of 2 animals left to bosun once ship left = not ASEL compliant as stockperson not there till "end of discharge". This voyage is proof that "acceptable" mortality can hide an appalling voyage with serious animal welfare issues.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 56: December 2018; MV Yangtze Harmony; Portland to Jing Tang (China); 22 days; 0.25 (10/4975). Conditions ranged from hot and humid (no heat stress reported) through to very cold. Water supply to cattle inadequate on 9 of the 22 days. Constant drainage issues. AMSA notified. No vet.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 57:  Dec 2018/January 2019; MV Al Shuwaikh; sheep and cattle Fremantle to Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates; 23 days; 0.3% (211/69917) sheep mortality sheep; 0% (0/312) cattle mortality. Heat stress in a ME winter voyage with maximum WBT 30°C. 1 viable lamb on Day 1: ASEL non-compliant.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 58: Dec 2018; MV Ocean Ute; Darwin to Panjang; 9 days; (0.02%) 1/5349 cattle mortality; 3 exporters; Report Oct 2019
IO REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: Perfect voyage no heat stress, no problems, no details either of just about anything including stocking density; average 31-32°C dry bulb and 29°C wet bulb and 82% humidity. So why did report take 11 months??

Report 59: December 2018; MV Yangtze Fortune; Portland to Rongcheng (China); 20 days; 0.37% (9/2405) cattle mortality. Same problematic domestic hose fittings with same problems as Report 12 (AMSA? Department?). Rough seas and injuries. Extremes of temperature with -10 on unloading. Vet onboard - atypical but likely in response to previous issues.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see vale_comment_report_59_mv_yangtze_fortune_cattle_to_china.pdf

Report 60: January 2019; MV Ganado Express;  Fremantle to Lianyungang (China); 14 day voyage; 0/1743 cattle mortality. Inadequate antibiotic supplies. Cold conditions in China. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

 Report 61: Jan 2019; MV Gloucester Express; Fremantle to Huanghua, China; 16 days; 0.06% (1.1752) cattle mortality. No temperature details and no mention of heat stress. Exhaust fumes mentioned as per IO 22. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT:  During the hotter days, the hatches above Deck 5 were open to provide greater air circulation. The hatches were closed when the weather was cold. IO  detected exhaust fumes occasionally on Deck 5. Pens on Decks 4 and 5 adjacent to the engine room were hotter than other areas on the vessel. Temps taken daily on each deck at 11.00am but no information provided.

Report 62: Jan/Feb 2019; MV Dareen; Portland to Oman (1600 cattle) - 21 days and then Pakistan (2419 cattle) with no IO onboard and number of days not recorded. 1 cattle death reported in Oman consignment with incorrect mortality percentage provided (1/1600 = 0.0625 and not 0.025%). Stocking not to load plan. Breeder cattle and 4 abortions, 1 stillbirth (full term) and 1 premature (30 weeks).  Loading cattle more than 190 days pregnant in the 30 day period prior to export is a breach of ASEL. No heat stress observed. These cattle are likely to have been prepared for the aborted Jawan Voyage (IO 52). Note: lower deck heat issues identified for this ship as per Voyages 38 and 51.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 63: Jan 2019; MV Rahmeh; Fremantle to Phu My, Vietnam; 20 days; cattle mortality 0.23% (11/4877); Insufficient food (also insufficient on same ship in IO 84. Bos taurus cattle some heat stress with recorded WBT of 30°C; near engine room; sloppy pads due to high swell; 25-30cm of boggy pad by end of voyage causing some animals to have difficulty rising and moving in pen; 2/11 deaths due to head being aught in head rail 200 cattle treated for lameness (abrasive flooring, sloppy pads, unspecified preload factors etc). No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: horror voyage with high incidence of lameness, bogging, insufficient food; click here to see report

Report 64: January 2019; MV Gudali Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 7 days; 0/3757 cattle mortality. Max WBT 28°C. Perfect voyage. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 65: January 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Jakarta and Panjang; 14 days; 0.05% (3/6134) cattle mortality. Humidity was often high; max 31°C (wet bulb). No details of  temperature monitoring. No mention of heat stress. Problems with mechanical food supply. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 66: January 2019; MV ; Darwin to Jakarta; 7 days; 0.03% (1/3558) cattle mortality. No concerns noted by IO or VALE but report took 7 months. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 67: Jan/Feb 2019; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle to Kuwait (18 days) and Qatar (20 days); 0.21% (140/64548) sheep mortality; 0.176 cattle mortality. Wool length not ASEL compliant (some >2.5 cm). Mild heat stress.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: 75-100% of livestock could ie down but representative photo shows the conditions with 17.5% extra space. Some sheep had wool >2.5 cm and should have been drafted out. A selection of pens were subject to detailed assessment for heat stress. Panting score 1 was evident after day 1 but the percentage of animals with pant score 1 dropped once the equator was crossed. There was no significant evidence of sheep with heat stress score 3 (open mouth). No heat stress deaths and sheep always had excellent appetites.

Report 68: Jan 2019; MV Jawan; Fremantle to Panjang; 8 days; 0.02% (1/5400) cattle mortality; rough seas so cattle not eating well; pens wet; many with udder development and one aborted calf.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Water from sea spray leaked down through the decks. Plastic sheeting used to prevent sea spray coming on board.

Report 69: Jan/Feb 2019; MV Ocean Swagman; Portland to Oman (20days), Jebel Ali (22 days); 0.09% (3/3470) cattle mortality; 27% increase in space allowance; no preparatory pellet feeding prior to loading so a few days to acclimatise to ration.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: pending

Report 70: Jan/Feb 2019; MV Maysora; Fremantle to Eilat (21 days), Israel and Aqaba (24 days); 0.19% (68/36050) sheep mortality; 0.16% (18/11160) cattle mortality. Fines/unpalatable food throughout voyage. Food not always accessible to pilot sheep (pilot sheep issues on IO 21 and 32 also). Treatment records not ASEL compliant.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Bedding was distributed to each cattle pen on the day before arrival in the port of Eilat...presumably to impress the Israelis and their vigilant port observers. Not representative? Lower decks 1-6 enclosed and higher temp and humidity than open decks 7-11 open. Photos show very rusty infrastructure - not shown on Sheep Collective Videos!
Conclusion states that treatments records not compliant with the ASEL or the exporter arrangements which impacted the accuracy of the voyage records and mandatory reporting but no details in text - Dept sanitisation of report?
The AAV and stockpersons routinely and regularly administered medications for animals in their original pens and in hospital pens without recording medication use.

Report 71: Jan/Feb 2019; MV Bahijah; Fremantle to Haifa; 24 days; 0.49% (33/6715) sheep mortality; 0.19% (9/4721) cattle mortality. Pen issues (drainage gates not replaced, internal gates not secured; water access blocked, drainage grates removed resulting in stock hazard).
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 72: Jan/Feb 2019; MV Greyman Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 6 days; 0.02% (1/3705) cattle mortality; several pens had 4-6 more animals than stated on load plan and only some animals moved. After Day 1,mild conditions. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: report-72.pdf

Report 73: Jan/Feb 2019; MV Gudali Express; Fremantle to Jakarta; 8 days; 0.08% (3/3,843) cattle mortality; no issues identified. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 74: Feb 2019; MV Al Shuwaikh; Fremantle to Kuwait (16 days), Qatar (20 days) and Jebel Ali (24 days); 0.46% (329/71 160) sheep mortality - mainly due to inanition; 0/311 cattle mortality; heat stress (WBT 31°C  for 4 days at equator) no open mouth panting. One lamb born - this is non-ASEL compliant despite conclusion finding voyage ASEL compliant!
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: rain and ocean spray led to some wet pens. During the warmest period of the journey respiratory rates were elevated but at no time were there any signs of open mouth breathing observed. No comment about lambing ASEL non-compliant  - numpty IO or Dept sanitisation?

Report 75: Feb 2019; MV Shorthorn Express; Darwin to Panjang; 8 days; 0.03% (1/3,062) cattle mortality; pen flooring abrasive; hotspots found. Pen details not AMSA compliant. Slow discharge. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Pens  were variable in shape and size. The numbering of pens and pen areas were missing for most pens and unreadable on most of the others. This is not MO43 compliant. Did AMSA act? It would make detection of incorrect stocking densities impossible. Did Dept act?

Report 76: February 2019; MV Brahman Express; Fremantle to Eilat; 21 days; 0.6% (30/5004) sheep mortality; 0.08% (2/2649) cattle mortality. 21 days of heat stress in sheep. Restricted fodder due to an apparent miscalculation.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: "From the first day of loading in Fremantle with an ambient temperature of 33°C, the sheep exhibited an increased respiratory rate. The increased rate remained throughout the voyage. Temperature and humidity increased on entry into the Red Sea and respiratory rates also increased. However, no sheep were observed with open mouth panting." 21 days of heat stress..on a ME winter voyage.

Report 77: February 2019; MV Ganado Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 7 days; 0.03% (1/3,633) cattle mortality. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Hatches on Deck 5 were left open for the entire voyage to aid ventilation. Deck 5 tended to be warmer than the lower decks. The sun deck was hosed down during the day to assist in keeping it cooler. No heat stress. Many pads were wet at start of journey (cause not given) and water leaks noted to lead to wet pads.

Report 78: February 2019; MV Greyman Express; Darwin to Haiphong, Vietnam; 10 days; 0.038% (1/2,601) cattle mortality. Temp was 31C dry bulb and 80% humidity but no heat stress; unnecessary excessive use of prodders noted at discharge. One animal with eye lesion left untreated. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 79: February 2019; MV Gudali Express; Port Hedland to Jakarta; 6 days; 0/3,552 cattle mortality. Excessive use of prodder at discharge with stockperson intervention required. Water troughs found empty. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: " the night watch required ongoing supervision to maintain an adequate standard of activity of water filling of troughs" and "occasional water troughs were found to be empty." No heat stress observed in these Bos indicus cattle but lucky they were not Bos taurus with lack of water and reported DBT/humidity.

Report 80: February 2019; MV Galloway Express; Darwin to Panjang, Indonesia; 7 days; 0.02% (1/3,610) cattle mortality and 0.49% (1/204) buffalo mortality; DBT 28°C and 77% humidity on average (9am monitoring); some buffalo were sprayed with water, despite the report that no animals showed signs of heat stress. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Photograph qaulity poor but cattle in Day 7 photo appear to be in poor body condition.

Report 81: Feb 2019; MV Jawan; Port Alma to Tanjung Priok; 13 days; 0.04% (2/5517) cattle mortality. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: The uppermost enclosed deck (Deck 4) felt warmer but livestock looked content. Decks 1 - 3 well ventilated and the upper four open decks were comfortable at all times. Temps recorded twice daily around 9:00am and 4:00pm.

Report 82: Dept has advised that an IO did not accompany this voyage. 

Report 83: February 2019; MV Gudali Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 7 days; 0.049% (2/4034) cattle mortality. All animals could lie down simultaneously! (rare). Water not always available. Good conditions. No heat stress. Slow discharge. No ASEL issues reported but 1 of the 2 mortalities appears to have been lame on loading (non ASEL compliant if so). No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 84: February 2019; MV Rahmeh; Portland to Quinhuangdao (China); 25 days; 0.06% (4/6386) dairy cattle mortality. Usual China issues: long voyage, extended by weather thus food rationing and extreme temperature variation (even with 11am measurements only). Only IO Report not to list causes of mortalities or to have photos identified by Day Number. IO also did not mention issues with Deck 4/pens near engine rooms. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: vale_comment_on_report_84.pdf

Report 85: February/March 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Jakarta and Panjang, Indonesia; 13 days; 0/6036 cattle mortality. WBT 29-31°C but no heat stress noted. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Bos indicus cattle

Report 86: February/March 2019; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle to Kuwait (21 days), Hamad, Qatar (20 days) & Jebel Ali (21 days); 0.31% (209/66165) sheep mortality & 0/104 cattle mortality. Heat stress described but denied in the report. Dept vs IO?
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: "The animals did not exhibit any significant signs of heat stress on the voyage. As the voyage neared the equator, where average temperatures were higher, some animals were observed with elevated respiratory rates and a few animals with longer wool were heat affected and seen to open mouth pant. As the vessel approached the Gulf of Oman, respiratory rates returned to normal." No temperatures provided in the report which was convenient. Either IO clueless or Dept has changed report.

Report 87: February/March 2019; MV Greyman Express; Darwin to Haiphong, Vietnam; 10 days; 0.07% (2/2.107) cattle mortality. Some short duration heat stress on Decks 4 and 5. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT:  Days 3 and 4, from 12pm-3pm, Decks 4 and 5, a small number had increased RR due to the nearby engine room and radiant heat from the sun on that side of the vessel. From 3:00pm the cattle appeared comfortable with normal RR. rate. Average daily max: 31°C with 80% humidity (WBT 28°C) at 11:30 am. For Bos indicus to be uncomfortable,  Decks 4 and 5 likely to have been higher (but no details).
VALE COMMENT: one cow died on first day from pneumonia so unlikely to have been healthy on loading (ASEL non-compliance).

Report 88: Dept advised that no IO accompanied this voyage

Report 89: February/March 2019; MV Dareen; Alma to Hai Phong, Vietnam; 15 days; 0.48% (20/4,170) cattle mortality. Stocking density for some pens exceeded ASEL with only 20% able to lie down (for 15 days!). Records and daily reports not ASEL compliant. No definitive causes for mortalities. No vets.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 90: March 2019; MV Girolando Express; Darwin to Panjang; 7 day voyage; 0.09% (3/3183) cattle mortality. Once daily (9am) temperature monitoring. Perfect voyage apparently and report reads like a marketing brochure for live export.
IO SUMMARY: see report

High Mortality Voyage 78: March 2019; Bison Express; North Australian Cattle Company Pty Ltd (NACC); Townsville to Vietnam; 2.86% (53/1845) cattle mortality; 11 days. Heat stress. Injuries. Weak cattle loaded in contravention to ASEL. No PM kit onboard. Malfunctioning injection guns. Bosun euthanasing not stockperson. No veterinarian or IO onboard - vet sent to discharge.
NOTE: No IO on this voyage and NACC stated that an IO could not be accommodated on the next voyage
NOTE: NACCC also had high mortality voyages previously on this same vessel (reports #61 and #64) both involving lameness and downer cattle. Report also states that in this "purpose built vessel" the entrance to the ship was too wide, with animals occasionally getting caught or turning around. Loading was stopped after the second truckload to add extra panel to narrow the entrance. This vessel has been used for at least 14 years for transporting cattle.
HIGH MORTALITY INVESTIGATION REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 91: March 2019; MV Yangtze Harmony; Townsville to Panjang (10 days); to Jakarta (12 days); 0.02% (1/4,983) cattle mortality; major issues with food and water delivery due to poor infrastructure (see also Report 16). 1 person to 8 decks overnight. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 92: March 2019; MV Yangtze Fortune; Fremantle to Huanghua, China; 17 days; no AAV; 0.22% (6/2772) cattle mortality; average DBT 30°C,  WBT 26°C until Day 12 when DBT 12°C. Water infrastructure issues again noted for this ship..AMSA?Dept? Mortality causes not ID apart from 2 euthanased as out of spec. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 93: March 2019; MV Jawan; Port Alma (Rockhampton) to Jakarta; 14 days; 0.07% (4/5684) cattle mortality. No causes of mortalities provided and also no details of temperature monitoring. No heat stress. Stockman reported for not recording treatments by ear tag.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see document

Report 94: March 2019; MV Ocean Swagman; Portland to Tianjin, China; 20 days; 0.14% (7/5,012) cattle mortality; instances of food and water deprivation. Heat stress. Stockperson behaviour non-ASEL compliant. Skinny animals loaded - not ASEL compliant. Infrastructure issues (trough access, heat off engine room). No temps reported. Vet on board.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 95: March 2019; MV Gudali Express; Townsville to Panjang, Indonesia; 10 days; 0/3,743 cattle mortality. Water deprivation occurred due to low pressure; exhaust issue; medications stored at room temp and ONE syringe used throughout (rinsed in trough water!). No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: The same syringe was used for the duration of the voyage, for all cattle and both injectable medications. This needle was sometimes observed to be washed in the cattle water troughs at the conclusion of treatments. See document

Report 96: March 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Panjang; 14 days; 0/6014 mortality. Minimal details provided including time and frequency of temperature monitoring or the temperatures. Another perfect voyage.
IO SUMMARY: see report

°CReport 97: March 2019; GL Kai Hou; Fremantle to Haiphong; 19 days (planned 12 days); 0.24% (3/1,229) cattle mortality. Feed not provided within 12h loading; insufficient feed for extended voyage; heat stress and heat stress death; drainage issues
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 98: March/April 2019; MV Maysora; Fremantle to Eilat (20 days) and Aqaba (23 days); 0.23% (121/53,644) sheep mortaility and 0.28% (19/6,789) cattle mortaility. Some water deprivation and feed deprivation. Significant heat stress in sheep and Bos taurus cattle despite conditions being described as mild (March). No temps provided. Sigificant issues including handling and mortalities due to poor handling during discharge. Pilot sheep deprived of food and water as per Reports 21, 32 and 70 for this ship.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 99: March 2019; MV Al Shuwaikh; Fremantle to Kuwait (17 days) and to Hamad, Qatar (20 days); 0.27% (190/70,250) sheep mortality; 0/204 cattle mortality. Excessive fines in sheep food noted again for this ship. Apparently no heat stress but WBT 31°C and autolysed carcases noted. Onboard vet did not euthanase animals in a timely fashion and didnt segregate scabby mouth. Onboard vet respiratory rates differed from IO.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 100: March 2019; MV Gelbray Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 6 days; 0/3,708 cattle mortality. Mild conditions. No representative photos. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 101: March 2019; MV Brahman Express; Broome to Belawan (Indonesia); 10 day voyage; 0/4118 mortality. 10:30 am temperature monitoring; no details provided. No heat stress noted. A perfect voyage.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 102: March 2019; MV Gudali Express; Broome to Panjang; 6 days; 0.05% (2/3731) cattle mortality. No issues detected. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 103: March 2019; MV Yangtze Harmony; Townsville to Jakarta and Panjang; 11 days; 0.13% (6/4693) cattle mortality. 20% pens overstocked. Mild heat stress. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: ~20% pens were not compliant with the ASEL minimum space requirements for the class and weight of the cattle transported. Cattle in these  pens worked harder to access feed and water with less room to move or lie down. The stockperson readjusted numbers in tight pens early in the voyage when these were brought to his attention by the IO! Bos indicus tolerated heat.  Two Bos taurus type animals in good condition on Deck 4 were observed from time to time with slightly increased respiratory rate due to hot temperatures and heat from a nearby air conditioning vent.

Report 104: March 2019; MV Jawan; Darwin to Panjang and Jakarta; 9 days; 0.02% (1/5394) cattle mortality. Two animals had tails broken by inappropriate handling at discharge. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE GENERAL COMMENTs: one nightwatchman. Twice daily temp monitoring. Hottest conditions were on the open decks which is odd. Highest DBT was on Deck 4 at 33°C on days 2 and 3. "While the open decks apparently had higher humidity, the observer noted the cattle appeared more comfortable on these decks than the enclosed decks." Higher humidity on open decks makes little sense and does not seem to be consistent with clinical observations.
VALE ESCAS NON-COMPLIANCE COMMENT: The IO Summary states: "One incident of poor handling was noted during discharge" however the following is taken from the ESCAS report: "The IO reported that during discharge of a feeder cattle consignment exported to Indonesia by Australian Rural Exports Pty Ltd (Austrex) non-compliant handling of cattle was observed. The IO reported that during discharge, staff working at the port were seen to hit, kick and excessively prod cattle and included breaking the tails of two animals.... the IO provided an 8 minute and 42 second video of the incident to the department. The footage showed cattle repeatedly baulking in the unloading ramp, leading to non-compliant handling by various animal handlers including:
- Excessive use of a stick on seven cattle that were already moving freely down the ramp
- Kicking, hitting, potential tail breaking and excessively stamping on the backs of two cattle on the discharge ramp
 "One incident" would seem to be very clever wording by the Dept to cover up multiple instances of animal abuse.

Report 105: April 2019; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle to Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab; 21 days; 0.29%(189/65115) sheep mortality; shearing cuts requiring Rx (contrary to ASEL); 2 lambings (contrary to ASEL); heat stress; 0/312 cattle mortality.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: port side feeding auger blocked and inoperative Days 12-14 (other measures taken).
The vessel traversed the equator for around 6 days where WBT between 28-31°C. Panting score 2 during hottest days with a handful (very scientific description) of sheep being observed with open mouth breathing (ie Pant Score 3). Pens near engine room on Decks 6-8, main hotspots.
Despite the ASEL non-compliances, the conclusion was that this voyage was ASEL compliant.

Report 106: April 2019; MV Gloucester Express; Portland to Dongying; 19 days; 0.14% (5/3649 cattle mortality). No problems noted but some Friesians appear very lean in the photos. Mild conditions. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: "The observer noted the discharge was completed in a timely manner with the health and welfare of the cattle maintained during the process." So good in fact that 2 animals died at discharge due to smothering

Report 107: April 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Hai Phong; 15 days; 0.16%(6/3826) cattle mortality. No problems noted. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 108: April 2019; MV Greyman Express; Darwin to Tanjunk Priok; 7 days; 0/3725 cattle mortality. No problems noted. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 109: April 2019; MV Rahmeh (Gulf Livestock 1); Portland to Huanghua; 21 days; 0.085% (5/5847). Heat stress. Extreme temperature variation. Thin condition. Vet onboard
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: vale_comment_on_io_109_rahmeh.pdf

Report 110: April 2019; MV Galloway Express; Darwin to Subic Bay, Phillipines; 8 days. 0/2798 cattle mortality. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: One episode of minor non-compliant handling of an animal at discharge was identified during review of the observer’s media files. Report states that this matter has been investigated and is available on the department’s website but its not. No issues for Philippines noted in the March to May 2019 report.

Report 111: April 2019; MV Yangtze Fortune; Portland to Tianjin; 20 days; 0.12% (6/4769 cattle) mortality. Poor pad conditions with resultant lameness. Faulty water pipes and troughs again noted on this vessel. Food troughs also dislodged. Heat stress (10% slight panting) with WBT 30°C. Long discharge.No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: "Pen conditions deteriorated markedly after the first deck washout on days 8 and 9 and lasted until the second wash out on days 14 and 15 due to faulty water pipes
and water troughs, poor pen drainage, and the humid conditions were considered to be the major contributors to poor pen conditions. ...caused lameness in a significant number of animals."

Report 112:  April 2019; MV Ganado Express; Townsville to Haiphong; 15 days; 0/2,295 cattle mortality. Mechanical issues affecting the vessel during the voyage added three days to the voyage length. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 113: April 2019; MV Anna Marra; Fremantle and Broome to Panjang, Indonesia  then Jakarta, Indonesia on 1 May 2019; then Port Klang, Malaysia and finally Pzasir Gudang, Malaysia on 8 May 2019; 21 days; 0.66% (33/4997) sheep mortality; 0.03% (5/14334) cattle mortality. ASEL non compliance: space allowances and late pregnant heifer (euthanased for uterine prolapse). NO VET for this stock number and voyage duration on this infamous ship (Awassi Express).
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: no record of ASEL non-compliance in conclusion - presumably not addressed by Dept.

Report 114: April 2019; MV Greyman Express; Darwin to Hon La, Vietnam; 0.13% (4/3,024) cattle mortality. Mild heat stress near engine room. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT:Warmer areas identified around the engine room on Decks 4 and 5 and the cattle in these pens showed increased respiratory rates - a reduction in the stocking density improved conditions.Temperature readings were initially taken daily at 11:00am on all decks. The observer requested the temperatures be taken at 2:00pm to better reflect the hottest daily temperature (but slightly lower humidity).

Report 115: April 2019; MV Girolando Express; Darwin to Panjang, Indonesia; 6 days; 0.03% mortality (1/3,848) cattle mortality. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 116: April, 2019; MV Shorthorn Express; Darwin to Hai Phong, Vietnam; 11 days; 0.32% (8/2,532) cattle mortality; 1.32% (2/151) buffalo mortality; no adverse events/situations reported; no vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 117: April, 2019; MV Al Shuwaikh: Fremantle to Kuwait (18 days) & Hamad, Qatar; 21 days; 0.23% (152/66,995) sheep mortality and 0.22% (1/450) cattle mortality; mild heat stress.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Increased RR around the equatorial region with average heat stress score 1-2. Ammonia noticeable on some lower decks during the warmer and more humid days around the equatorial region. Some sheep pads became moist. The maximum WBT  were recorded around the equatorial regions (d8 and d9). Most mortality due to inanition.

Report 118: April/May 2019; MV Bahijah; Portland to Israel; 23 days; 0.1% (6/6,285) cattle mortality. Non compliance with ASEL space allowance; Inappetence (rough seas and not adapted to pelleted ration). Rough seas, sea spray, flooding, drainage issues. Cold stress followed by heat stress. Written and photographic evidence of a miserable voyage. Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENTS: 
Inaequate space allowance: Rough seas prevented adjustment until d10 in most but not all pens. At the end of the voyage, a number of pens still had cattle with less than the minimum space requirements in the ASEL.
Heat stress: At the equator average 30°C dry bulb and 75% humidity. However the hotter pockets noted above were recorded with conditions around 32 – 33°C with humidity 88 – 90% including  spots on the forward sections of Deck 7 and the lower, rear enclosed Deck 4; ~10 cattle penned in these areas were observed to be lethargic and open mouth breathing. Cattle on all decks were observed to have a slightly increased respiratory rate during the hottest days.  Bos taurus  observed to have an RR of 80-100 and a heat stress of 2 during the last week.
Flooding: during  first week o, some pens in rear half of Deck 5 and some on Deck 6 were flooded five times by sea water during heavy sea conditions. Cattle were exposed to waves, sea spray and afterwards 20 to 30cm (or more) of water in the pens. Despite the best efforts  pens were repeatedly flooded and cattle in them were observed to be wet, cold and windblown. These pens then remained waterlogged or sloppy for approximately one week. Foot tenderness was observed in some of these cattle later in the voyage.

Report 119: May 2019; MV Ocean Swagman; Portland to Jintang, China; 20 days; 0.09% (5/5,355) cattle mortality; AAV. Approx. 10% of cattle showed mild panting as crossed the equator – 31C dry bulb and 85% humidity and prior to washdown some pens were boggy; one cow aborted. Vet on-board.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: no details re abortion and stage of pregnancy but possibly non-ASEL compliant.

Report 120: May 2019; MV Girolando Express; Townsville to Thi Vai, Vietnam; 16 days; 0.61% (14/2,305) cattle mortality. Arrival delayed by 3 days due to slow speed of the vessel and then held at anchor 24h; heat stress; no PMs done to ascertain cause of death. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Decks 4 and 5 were the warmest of all 5 decks. Held at anchor for 24 hrs prior to discharge and heat stress occurred in the heavy bulls located on Deck 5: increased respiratory rate, some showed open mouth breathing and tongue protrusion 32C and 80% humidity – 2 bulls died (no PM).

Report 121: May 2019; MV Greyman Express; Darwin to Tanjung Priok, Indonesia; 6 days; 0.03% (1/3,813) cattle mortality. No problems noted. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 122: May 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Vietnam; 13 days; 0.15% (7/4,537) cattle mortality; . No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: 70% of cattle could lie down at any one time. Minor mishaps noted but not detailed.

Report 123: May 2019; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle to Kuwait and United Arab Emirates; 0.16% (99/58,568) sheep mortality and 0/474 cattle mortality; 21 days. Record quick time for release of report (3 months!!!) and record low mortalities, the lowest in this ship's 166 voyages AND sheep still suffered severe heat stress with open mouth panting. IO Summary states "There were no animal welfare incidents observed by the observer from loading through to discharge"!
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 124: May 2019; MV Gloucester Express; Geelong to Huanghua, Vietnam; 17 days; 0.08 (3/3,545) cattle mortality. One neonatal death but voyage deemed to be ASEL compliant. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Temperatures were recorded at various times throughout the day, with hot and cold temperatures averaging at 19 – 31°C dry bulb, 18 – 28°C wet bulb and humidity at 75 – 79%.

Report 125: May 2019; MV Ganado Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 7 days; 0/3,905 cattle mortality. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: initial pad conditions were wet due to some water leaks.

Report 126: May/June 2019; MV Yantze Harmony; Portland to Fremantle to Russia (45 days for 2,518 cattle) & 39 days for 1,135 cattle (ex Fremantle); 0.08% (3/3,653) cattle mortality. Fodder competition between two unspecified cattle classes noted. Possibly mild heat stress. Vet on-board.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Around the equatorial region 28°C wet bulb and mild increasse in RR noted (unspecified). IO stated that no signs of heat stress were observed. Then increased temperature and humidity (no details) were experienced around the Eastern Mediterranean through to the final discharge at the port in Russia with apparently no heat stress but increased water consumption, enough to affect pad negatively.

Report 127: May/June 2019; MV Maysora; Fremantle to Israel/Jordan; 29 days; 0.24% (118/48610) sheep mortality, 0.53% (43/8152) cattle mortality.  Heat stress including open mouth panting.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE REPORT: see document

Report 128: May 2019; MV Yangtze Fortune; Broome to Jakarta and Panjang; 8 days; 0.04% (2/5149) cattle mortality. Infrastructure problems including narrow rail spacing, troughs knocked off. Drainage issues. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: some pens remained over-stocked for the voyage - ASEL noncompliant.
As per usual with the Yangtze vessels:  troughs were often knocked off the pen rails. This resulted in troughs contaminated with manure or fines. Five pens were noted to have reduced access to feed and water due to narrow spacing between rails which limited placement of water and feed troughs. Crew attempted to fix this issue by placing troughs inside the pens however this reduced pen space and meant it was easier for troughs to be knocked off or soiled.
Deck washing on Decks 1-3 occurred on day 4. Deck 1 had significant build-up of water causing animals to stand almost up to their knees in water for in excess of 2 hours. This was due to using multiple hoses on multiple decks to get the cleaning done quickly due to restrictions of effluent discharge in close proximity to land. No sawdust was provided to wet pens after washing. There was not enough sawdust for this purpose because it was required for the discharge. Pen conditions on Deck 1 improved by Day 5 but report implies water took "subsequent days" to drain.

Report 129: May 2019; MV Shorthorn Express; Darwin to Panjang; 8 days; 0.06% (2/3187) cattle mortality. Space allowance possibly inadequate. Discharge prolonged and animal abuse incident noted. ASEL non-compliance re lack of treatment. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: In approximately 70% of the pens, 50% of the animals could lie down at one time in only 70% of pens. The pens on the outer edge of the vessel held more cattle but had the same number of troughs available. The cattle in the larger pens had to wait or compete to get access to feed and water
Discharge was a prolonged  due to the timing of discharge and effect of Ramadan on the availability of trucks. One incident when one of the dock crew kicked and used excessive electric prodding on one animal that had turned on the ramp.
Voyage met ASEL  with the exception of the lack of treatment of the 3 animals identified with eye, skin or horn issues. No vet!

Report 130: May 2019; MV Bison Express; Darwin to Bintulu, Malaysia and Muara, Brunei; 11 days; 0.14% (3/2224) cattle mortality. Heat stress. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Periods in the equatorial region where heat stress observed mainly in the  Bos taurus. Approx 8 cattle were rated 2 – 2.5 on the heat stress scale. No heat issues were observed in the Bos indicus cattle. One photo of an Angus with open mouth breathing and distress is labelled "mild heat stress".

Report 131: June 2019; MV Anna Marra (Awassi Express); Townsville to Panjang and Jakarta; 17 days; 0.071% (12/16931) cattle mortality. No problems noted. Discharge delays in both ports. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 132: May 2019; MV Gudali Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 7 days; 0/3768 cattle mortality. No problems noted. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Photos on Day 3 and Day 5 show cattle in poor body condition but Dept labelled these as "no issues identified".

Report 133: May 2019; MV Ocean Drover; Fremantle to Kuwait and UAE; 18 days; 0.11% (65/56915) sheep mortality; 200 sheep in poor body condition and a disproportionate number of these died despite the Dept asserting "The causes of the mortalities were not considered to be linked to any systemic failure by the exporter." Severe heat stress affecting many of the sheep - May voyage! 0.74% (1/135) cattle mortality.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report.

Report 134: May 2019; MV Gulf Livestock 1 (formerly Rahmeh); Broome to Panjang; 7 days; 0/6005 cattle mortality.  Delayed loading due to stability and navigation issues noted by AMSA (vessel later sunk transporting cattle from NZ). No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Deck 4  warmer and more humid than other decks, due to proximity of engine room. The observer also noted a strong ammonia smell on this deck. To alleviate this issue, the stockperson installed additional fans on this deck.

Report 135: May 2019; MV Shorthorn Express; Darwin to Thi Vai;9 days; 0.18% (4/222) cattle mortality. Stockperson non ASEL compliant. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: communication between stockperson and crew reported as "fair". A non-compliance was noted: leg wound not treated in accordance with ASEL. The matter was brought to the attention of the stockperson on Day 3, however on the morning of Day 4 the stockperson advised they had not attended to the animal. The animal was not located and identified until Day 6 as the livestock in the pen had been relocated.

Report 136: May 2019; MV Ganado Express; Fremantle to Huanhua, China; 19 days; 1.36% (25/1832) cattle mortality. HIGH MORTALITY VOYAGE (> 1% cattle). Mechanical breakdown. Vet onboard as first consignment to China for the exporter.
IO Report recorded some heat stress (despite mild voyage conditions).High Mortality Report stated that Decks 4 and 5 appeared hotter, in particular hold 3 around the engine room. 17/25 deaths were on these decks. Cause: IO claimed cause not identified and "noted that the majority of the mortalities did not display symptoms of illness and appeared to be sudden deaths", AAV diagnosed gastroenteritis (as a cause of sudden death?) and Dept noted that heat was a contributing factor because deaths all on the hottest decks at the hottest days of the voyage. Dept concluded multifactorial but accepted the exporter diagnosis of gastroenteritis. The Dept appears not to have requested a pathologist assessment of the photographs of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) to ascertain whether the GIT lesions could have been consistent with heat stress.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT on IO REPORT: see report
HIGH MORTALITY INVESTIGATION REPORT (only available some time after 18.2.20): see report.
Note: discrepancy in dates of breakdown between High Mortality Investigation Report and IO Report.
Note: discrepancy in significance of heat with Dept concluding that heat is likely to have have had a significant role but no mention in the IO summary and AAV/exporter diagnosing gastroenteritis.

Report 137: May 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Hai Phong; 15 days; 0.3% (11/2785) cattle mortality. Heavy bulls. Lameness in the first week. Slow discharge. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 138: June 2019; MV Ocean Swagman; Townsville to Thi Vai amd Long an-Ben Luc; 14 days. 0.07% (3/4484) cattle mortality. No problems noted. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Day 9 Photo (no issues ID) - appears to have a Bos taurus in poorer body condition penned with large Bos indicus.

Report 139: June 2019; MV Gudali Express; Darwin to Belawan; 9 days; 0.03% (1/3052) cattle mortality; 0.34% (1/294) buffalo mortality. Slow discharge. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Hatches on Deck 5 opened during the voyage to improve ventilation.

Report 140: June 2019; MV Galloway Express; Townsville to Panjang; 10 days; 0/3667 cattle mortality. Stocking density in some pens >ASEL. Heat stress. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Some Bos taurus x were heat affected with panting score of 2.5 (increased respiratory rate with occasional open mouth breathing) during the hottest periods of the day. Bos indicus cattle appeared to be less affected by temperature with panting score of 1 (slightly increased respiratory rate) or less throughout the voyage. This was despite relatively mild conditions: 27 – 33°C (presumably DBT?) with humidity range of 72 – 79%.

Report 141: June 2019; MV Gloucester Express; Darwin to Phu My, Vietnam; 8 days; 0.04% (1/2643) cattle mortality. No problems noted. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Hold 3 - higher temperature due to heat from the engine room. Maximum temperature was recorded for the voyage was 32°C (dry bulb), 29°C (wet bulb) while humidity was 79%. Mild conditions.

Report 142: June 2019; MV Bison Express; Darwin to Subic Bay, Phillipines; 11 days; 0.12% (3/2488) cattle mortality. Loading issues and likely injuries. Food not provided within 12 hours of loading. Contaminated food. Food just adequate with delays.  Delayed to unloading and significant welfare issues with pads. Stockman left the vessel despite these issues during unloading for 9 hours (ASEL breach). Possibly some water deprivation. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT:need FOI on the IO report as original copy likely more damning.  See VALE report. Deck 4 heat noted on IO 48 also.

Report 143: June 2019; MV Yangtze Fortune; Townsville to Jakarta; 12 days; 0.07% (4/5306) cattle mortality. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: no problems noted

Report 144: June/July 2019; MV Gulf Livestock One (previously name: Rahmeh); Portland to Tangshan, China; 24 days; 0.31% mortality (18/5799) cattle mortality. Issue with the main engine on days 18 and 19 so ship drifted for around 25 hours while repairs were made; ship later sank on a voyage from NZ to China. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: The weather conditions were 13°C in Portland with the warmest temperatures recorded at 31°C around the equatorial region with humidity ranging from 73 to 77% for most of the voyage. Deck 4 was washed out 6 times, at 3 day intervals, during the voyage as the pads had a sloppy consistency due to the combination of heat from the engine and humidity. Surprising that heat stress was not seen in these winter-acclimatised dairy cattle.

Report 145: June 2019; MV Bahijah; Fremantle to Eilat; 21 days; 0.06% (3/5173) cattle mortality. All stock could lie down. Ventilation issues required correction.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Special Deck 4 had strong smell of ammonia; portable fan requested by the AAV and  improved the ventilation. An area on Deck 5 was found to be very warm and humid and further investigation established that the ventilation fan was drawing air from outside the adjacent engine room. The ventilation fan supplying the area was reversed which had a noticeable effect and improved the conditions. Then rough weather in the Arabian Sea and Deck 5 inundated with sea water but again apparently no animal welfare issues.

Report 146: June 2019; MV Shorthorn Express; Darwin to Panjang; 6 days; 0.03% (1/3123) cattle mortality. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: temps between 10:00am and midday. The average WBT 27°C; mild conditions with minimum swell and little wind. About 60% could lie down.

Report 147: June 2019; MV Gudali Express; Darwin to Haiphong, Vietnam; 10 days; 0.04%(1/2339) cattle mortality; 0/180 buffalo mortality. Falls and inappropriate use of electric prodder on loading. Max WBT 31°C. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: some cattle did not adapt well to the pellets and presented with hollow sides throughout the voyage - evident in photos (with no issues identified!).

Report 148: June 2019; MV Gloucester Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 7 days; 0.08% (3/3,656) cattle mortality. Stocking density non ASEL compliant. Food contamination issues due to infrastructure (non ASEL compliant). Water spillage (non Approved Export plan compliant). No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 149: June 2019; MV Anna Marra (Awassi Express); Broome to Panjang and Pasir Gudang, Malaysia; 13 days; 0.04% (7/16021 cattle). Oddly for this vessel, no vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Temperature and humidity checks every four hours. WBT 22°C to 29°C. 50% could lie down. No necropsies performed - no vet!

Report 150: June 2019; MV Ocean Swagman; Darwin to Jakarta and Bandar Lampung; 10 days; 0.06% (4/6,805) cattle mortality. Incorrect number of cattle loaded. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: WBT taken twice daily but no details. Despite 3 mortalities, they were still one beast OVER head count so an extra one had to be euthanased but apparently, that was ASEL compliant.

Report 151: June 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Hon La; 15 days; 0.03% (1/3,732) cattle mortality. Stocking density not ASEL compliant. WBT max 31°C. No vet
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Fodder wastage due to  troughs knocked off pen rails, spillage from eating and the removal of faecal contaminated fodder from troughs and stockpiles. Some areas  temperatures were higher due to solar radiation on metal surfaces and areas close to the fuel heating tanks and the engine room (no heat stress recorded). Stocking density for light cattle in a number of pens did not comply with ASEL and despite adjustments, remained outside the ASEL requirements and cattle had less room to access feed and water. There were no obvious stress indicators observed as a result of this density.

Report 152: Jul 2019; MV Yangtze Fortune; Fremantle to Huanghua (China); 16 days; 0.35% (8/2303 cattle) mortality. Incorrect stocking density calculation. No temperature details but necropsy to check for hyperthermia so heat stress likely present and sanitised out of report. No bedding for cattle (ASEL non-compliance not noted). No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report
NOTE: food and water troughs being knocked off were noted as a problem on this in July 2018 (IO REPORT 12) - problem clearly not addressed by AMSA or Dept

Report 153: Jul 2019; MV Girolando Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 9 days; 0/3403 cattle mortality. 0.05% (2/3635) cattle mortality. Contaminated food throughout. Insufficient food days 6-9. Significant welfare issue. Unloading delays (63h). No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 154: July 2019; MV Greyman Express; Darwin to Tanung Priok; 7 days; 0.05% (2/3635) cattle mortality. Mild conditions. Unloading delay due to traffic in Jakarta. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 155: July 2019; MV Ocean Drover; Townsville and Darwin to Jakarta and Panjang. 18 days; 0.4% (8/18599) cattle mortality. No vet onboard. 5 stockpersons.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: vale_comment_on_io_155_ocean_drover_townsville.pdf

Report 156: July 2019; MV Ocean Swagman; Darwin to Tanjung Priok and Panjang; 9 days; 0/6553 cattle mortality. Mild conditions. >50% lie down space. Slow unloading. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 157: July 2019; MV Gudali Express; Broome to Panjang; 5 days; 0.03% (1/3824) cattle mortality. Mild conditions. Spacious (50-80% could lie down). No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 158: July 2019; MV Gloucester Express; Townsville to Phu My; 12 days; 0.33% (8/2419) cattle mortality. Causes of most mortality not ascertained. Many lamenesses. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Temperatures taken at 10:30am, areas closest to the engine room were warmer; DBT 33°C; humidity 74 – 78% from equatorial approach to end. No heat stress. No mention of whether previous problems (IO 148) noted had been rectified.

Report 159: July 2019; MV Girolando Express; Darwin to Brunei and Bintulu, Malaysia; 10 days; 0.04% (1/2504) cattle mortality; 0/508 buffalo mortality. Mild heat stress in Bos taurus. Some pens initially overstocked with welfare consequences. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 160: Jul 2019; MV Gudali Express; Broome to Panjang; 6 days; 0/3886 cattle mortality.
Mild conditions. No problems noted. No vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 161: Jul 2019; MV Ganado Express; Townsville to Hai Phong; 15 days; 0.34% (8/2377) cattle mortality.  Voyage duration extended by mechanical problem with the vessel’s main engine plus severe weather. Insufficient food. ASEL non-compliance issues in IO Summary but none in conclusion. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 162: July 2019; MV Anna Marra (aka Awassi Express); Portland to Huanghua, China; 20 days; 0.16% (13/8050 cattle). Quality of photos poor. Some animals poor condition in the representative photos. No bedding for dairy cattle in one of the photos. Perfect voyage apparently. Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Around 400 individual treatments were administered  for pinkeye, respiratory disease, lameness, and wounds. The number of treatments were representative of the AAV’s early detection and treatment of issues as they were identified....which is why there need to be a vet onboard for every voyage.

Report 163: Jul 2019; MV Ocean Drover; Townsville to Panjang and Belawan; 10 days; 0.13% (24/18758) cattle mortality. Mild conditions, WBT 25.8°C; 50% of cattle had sufficient space to lie down. Cattle from 3 exporters, 5 stockpersons and no vet!
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: slow unloading. No mention of drainage problems.

Report 164: Jul 2019; MV Gudali Express; Broome to Quy Nhon; 9 days; 0/2729 cattle mortality. No vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Temp 29°C – 31°C; humidity ~80%. Hottest on days 5 and 6 at 31°C and 80% humidity. No heat stress recorded which is quite odd given that some cattle in the photos were Bos taurus (better acclimatised from Broome?)

Report 165: Jul 2019; MV Bison Express; Geelong to Belawan; 17 days; 0/1600 cattle mortality. Well managed voyage but photos show no/very minimal bedding for a 17day voyage for bony Friesians. No heat stress. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: if temps >31°C, then twice daily readings: 9-10am (routine) and 3-4pm. More than 50% could lie down but given lack of bedding, they probably didnt want to!

Report 166: Aug 2019; MV Gelbray Express; Portland to Yantai, China; 18 days; 0.02% (1/3942) cattle mortality. Some pens <ASEL space allowance. Stockman inaccurate daily records but no ASEL non-compliance listed. Some heat stress likely but no temps provided. Stockman requests to master to increase ventilation were ignored and/or only temporarily granted (stockman reported to Govt that ventilation was good despite this).  Wet pads. No bedding for dairy cows in one photo. No vet onboard
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 167: Aug 2019; MV Girolando Express; Darwin to Hon La and Phu My; 13 days; 0.31% 5/1,629 cattle mortality, 6/809 (0.74%) buffalo mortality - HIGH MORTALITY VOYAGE (unloaded at Hon La so <10 days). ASEL non compliance with feeding and loading. Pad issues. Injuries. Euthanasia issues. No vet: Dept required vet next buffalo voyage for this exporter - also high mortality.
IO SUMMARY: see report
HIGH MORTALITY INVESTIGATION REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: pending but note that the investigation report is discrepant with the IO Summary as  investigation report stated that IO indicated "possible overstocking". IO report in fact stated : "a number of buffalo pens contained stock numbers greater than the ASEL stocking densities. This impacted on the health and welfare of the animals in the more densely packed pens as access to feed and water and their ability to rest was reduced."
IO PHOTO: irrefutable evidence of inadequate space allowance: see photo

Report 168: Aug 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Darwin to Tanjung Priok; 8 days; 0.07% (2/2869) cattle mortality. Mild conditions (WBT 28°C with twice daily measurements). Long discharge. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 169: NO REPORT LISTED

Report 170: Aug 2019; MV Ocean Swagman, Townsville to Thi Vai; 13 days; 0.34% (12/3496) cattle mortality. Mild conditions. Most mortalities due to respiratory disease. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Engine doors on decks 5 – 7 were closed  to block heat transfer into the adjacent livestock pens. Temps relatively constant at WBT 27°C;  humidity around 80% with temps taken at 9am (ie may not have been representative). On day 1, two pens had shallow water on Deck 4 (pumped out when the vessel commenced moving).

Report 171: Aug 2019; MV Shorthorn Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 6 days; 0/2987 cattle mortality. Mild conditions. Loading issues including ship design (abrasive surfaces previously noted for this ship but no comment here). ASEL stocking density exceeded in some pens for up to 2 days. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 172: Aug 2019; MV Ganado Express, Darwin to Haiphong, Vietnam; 10 days; 0.19% (5/2629) cattle mortality. No problems noted but no cause of death was ID. No vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENTS: 70% of cattle could lie down at any one time. Some lines of cattle took several days to settle while others remained reactive for the duration of the voyage but apparently this state of reactivity (catecholamine release?) did not impact animal welfare??

Report 173: Aug 2019; MV Galloway Express, Fremantle to Ningbo China; 14 days; 0.77% cattle mortality (14/1812). Severe heat stress with heat stress deaths and mechanical failure/repairs also during the heat stres period (ie no respite from sun; stationary vessel). Bos taurus cattle. Generous space. Temps not representative as not taken in hottest part of day (as per routine on nearly all cattle voyages). Vet on-board (unusual for China voyage - known high risk consignment of winter acclimatised Bos taurus?)
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 174: August 2019, MV Gudali Express, Townsville to Vietnam; 12 days; 0.12% (3/2495) cattle mortality. Apparently a perfect voyage despite rough seas due to Typhoon Jenny. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 175: Aug 2019, MV Bison Express, Darwin to Indonesia; 7 days; 0.03%(1/2863) cattle mortality. Mild conditions. No issues identified. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 176: Aug 2019; MV Anna Marra (Awassi Express);Broome to Indonesia; 12 days; 0.04% mortality (7/15859) cattle mortality. 2 deaths in loading. Some mouldy food. A vet onboard (atypical for shorthaul but there often is with this rebadged Awassi Express).
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 177: Aug 2019; MV Gelbray Express; Darwin to Indonesia; 8 days; 0/3561 mortality. Vessel stopped for 12 hours after leaving Darwin because of an engineering problem. Otherwise apparently perfect voyage. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 178:  August 2019; MV Ocean Swagman; Townsville to Vietnam; 15 days; 0.11% (5/4465) cattle mortality. No temps provided. Perfect voyage apart from some loose gates and railings in the pens being an injury hazard. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 179: Sept 2019, MV Ocean Drover; Portland to Tianjin; 0.02% (2/8316) cattle mortality. Low consignment size so spacious and all cattle could lie down. Repeated pens flooding with rough seas and pad also wet due to equatorial conditions. Lucky it was a small consignment! Dairy cows. Vet present.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 180: Sept 2019; MV Yangtze Harmony;  Townsville to Thi Vai (Vietnam); 15 days;  0.25% (7/2,836) cattle mortality. 4 heavy bulls had heat stress otherwise apparently perfect. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 181: Sept 2019; MV Bison Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 7 days; 0/2693 cattle mortality. Infrastructure issues with rust/corrosion. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 182: Sept 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Portland to Weifang; 23 days; 0.04% (2/4593) cattle mortality. Insufficient food because a 14 day voyage took 23 days (had food for 21days) - rationed mid voyage. No reason provided for delay. Heat stress is a possibility despite no record of such. Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Temps 15-33°C, and 69-93% respectively during the voyage. No indicators of heat stress were observed in the cattle. If 93% humidity occurred when temp 33°C, it is inconceivable that there was no heat stress in Bos taurus cattle. However, insufficient WBT data available (it could have been 15°C and 93%?).

Report 183: September 2019; MV Brahman Express; Townsville to Panjang; 10 days; 0.05% (2/4124) cattle mortality. No WBT provided. Issues with feed instructions. Hospital pen cattle in poor body condition ("no issues identified"). Minor ASEL non-compliance supposedly detailed in the summary but no mention - were the details removed by the Dept? No vet.
IO SUMMARY: report-183.pdf
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 184: Sept 2019; MV Maysora; Townsville to Jakarta; 12 days; 0.09% (9/10325) cattle mortality.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: pending

Report 185: Sept 2019; MV Girolando Express; Geraldton to Weifang, China; 20-day voyage; 0% (0/1742) cattle mortality. Mechanical issues resulted in 24h delay. Heat stress observed despite being Bos indicus if photographs really "representative". No temperatures detailed but presumably high given HST of Bos indicus. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: report-185.pdf
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 186: Sept 2019; MV Anna Marra (Awassi Express); Broome to Panjang (Indonesia) and Pasir Gudang (Malaysia); cattle mortality 4/7610 (0.05%); 12 days. Mild temperature (was this why temperature data included?). Causes of mortality unknown as per routine in voyages with no veterinarian. A seemingly perfect voyage. Representative photographs largely useless.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: vale_comment_on_report_186.pdf

Report 187: Sept 2019; MV Bahijah; "Cattle exported to Indonesia" ..only it was from Fremantle to Eilat Israel! 20 days. 0.05% (3/5990) cattle mortality. Some pens flooded on 2 decks due to heavy seas Days 1 and 2. Some gate issues. Otherwise low mortality, low stress voyage. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 188: Sept 2019; MV Shorthorn Express; Darwin to Jakarta; 7 days; cattle mortality 0.03% (1/3,078). No temperature details provided and a perfect voyage. No vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 189: Sept 2019; MV Al Messilah, Fremantle to Kuwait, Jebel Ali then Hamad (Qatar); 21 days; 0.24% (132/54930) sheep mortality; 0% (0/457) cattle mortality. Sheep and cattle exported to Kuwait, UAE and Qatar in September–October 2019. ASEL non-compliance order issued re loading and stocking density. WBT: 26-32°C, exceeding Govt HST; panting score 3 in 3-5% of sheep at times but no "heat stress" mentioned in IO Summary.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 190: Sept 2019; MV Ganado Express, Darwin to Panjang; 7 day voyage; 0/3426 cattle mortality. Perfect voyage with no problems detailed. No Vet
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report

Report 191: Oct 2019; MV Ocean Drover; Townsville to Jakarta and panjang; 15 days; 0.05% (9/19125) cattle mortality.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: pending

Report 192: Oct 2019; MV Yangtze Harmony; Townsville to Thi Vai; 12 day voyage; 0.06% (2/3,054) cattle mortality. WBT 23-28°C and another perfect report. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 193: Oct 2019 (report released July 2020), MV Maysora; Fremantle to Eilat and Aqaba; 26 days; 0.2% (81/39733) sheep mortality; 0.11% (11.10274) cattle mortality. Heat stress. Food and water deprivation. Live but moribund sheep found in the ‘morgue’. Numerous non-compliances but no penalties. An outstanding IO report presumably from an IO who didnt backdown (9 months for report to be released). Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report.
NOTE: 14,000 head of the sheep on-board slipped past an "accredited observer" at Fremantle with non-compliant fleece. This is more than just an oversight - it is MAJOR NON-COMPLIANCE by exporters. It also highlight why INDEPENDENT OBSERVERS should be allowed back into Fremantle Port (having been banned since 2012 after VALE's Sue Foster was identified there by Dr Haydn Roeger, a veterinary officer for the Department, during the loading of the MV Maysora. Dr Roeger later left the Department and worked for this exporter).

Report 194:  Oct 2019; MV Anna Marra (Awassi Express); Townsville to Jakarta and Panjang; 15 days; 0.14% (17/12078). 3 exporters. Perfect voyage apparently. 12 cattle died of sudden death with 2 attributed to pneumonia and rest with no PM. No vet on board.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 195: Oct 2019; MV Ocean Swagman, Portland to Jingtang; 21 day voyage, 0.14% (8/5853) cattle mortality; dairy cattle (Friesian). Summary report: another perfect voyage. No animal welfare issues observed but extremely poor body condition evident in the photos in which "no issues identified". IO competence vs Dept competence/sanitisation? No vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY REPORT: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 196: Oct 2019; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Hon La (Vietnam); 16 days; 0.08% (3/3594) cattle mortality.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: pending

Report 197: Oct 2019; MV Ocean Drover; Townsville to Jakarta and Panjang; 14 days; 14/17970 (0.08%) cattle mortality. Heat stress, lameness, pad issues, drainage issues etc...not to mention concerns about fire risk on the livestock decks.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: pending but the phrase "no negative health implications" or similar appeared 7 times in one short report. Did the IO write this or the Dept?
FOI: VALE requested documents for this voyage SIX TIMES.  See document 1 IO first report; See document 2 IO Final report
DETAILED ANALYSIS: IO DRAFT Report, IO FINAL REPORT have been compared statement by statement to the Government's IO SUMMARY. DAWR deliberately excluded adverse animal welfare comments throughout: see analysis
RELEVANT DOCUMENT: ATSB into the fire on the Ocean Drover in Fremantle Port 9 Oct 2014. "The ship’s managers have revised the shipboard smoking policy and restricted smoking to designated rooms, which exclude crew cabins. Designated smoking rooms are provided with safety ashtrays and sand bins, and warning signs have been posted in accommodation areas. The managers promulgated the lessons learned from the fire and safety action taken across the fleet through procedural changes and safety meetings." Seems lessons learned are forgotten in Jakarta when smoking occurs through the livestock section and in the presence of straw (IO Draft Report and IO Final Report).

Report 198: Nov 2019; MV Yangtze Harmony; Fremantle to Huanghua; 18 days; 0.11% (3/2,618) cattle mortality. Low density voyage with dairy cows. Apparently perfect with no heat stress reported. No vet onboard
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: DBT: 15 and 33°C, max humidity 85% and no WBT provided. Prolonged hot period at the equatorial zone, but this did not appear to have an adverse effect on the cattle apparently (no RR etc provided).

Report 199: Oct/Nov 2019; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle to Kuwait, Qatar and UAE; 23 days; 0.17% (100/58800) sheep mortality; 0/468 cattle mortality. Pellet fines. Heat stress occurred with up to 20% of sheep in Pant Score 2 and some in Pant Score 3 but the sheep werent stressed! Really? Non-compliance reported but no details provided (did the Govt rewrite this IO summary?)
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: pending

Report 200: Nov 2019; MV Al Shuwaikh; Fremantle to to Kuwait, Qatar and UAE; 25 days' 0.23% (156/67688) sheep mortality; 0.29% (2/669) cattle mortality. Heat stress in sheep. Shearing cuts resulted in hospitalisations. Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENTS:
1. The automated feed system contributed to 15% of the feed being broken down into dust (‘fines’) - problem identified previously.
2. Enclosed Decks 1–4 were warm, humid, and had an ammonia smell. Deck 5, which is enclosed but the only single-tier deck, had improved air quality when compared to Decks 1–4.  - shows problem of double tiered ships
3. Many of the horned rams could not get their heads through the rails to access feed and water so had to be fed and watered in pen.
4. Shearing cut infections, and resulting lameness, contributed to approximately 20 of the 30 sheep hospitalised - only health animals should be loaded under ASEL and shearing occurs before loading

Report 201: Nov 2019; MV Yangtze Fortune; Portland to Qinzhou; 18 days; 0/4165 cattle mortality. Inadequate food (10 days). Heat stress. Ringworm. Some cattle in poor body condition. Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report.
Note: The report stated that there were no negative health and/or welfare consequences 5 times in the summary and one of these was when animals reported to be lying prone due to heat stress. Dept sanitisting again? Request for documents under FOI denied.

Report: 202: November 2019; MV Bahijah; Fremantle to Israel; 21 days; 0.03% mortality (2/6538) cattle mortality. Pellet fines issue. Significant heat stress for several nights with RR 80-100 but IO saw no evidence of heat stress!
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report

Report 203: Nov 2019, MV Anna Marra (ex Awassi Express). Geelong to Fremantle to Novorossiysk, Russia; 42 days; 0.17% (27/14488) mortality. Heat stress. AAV. Perceptive and critical IO - no wonder it took over 8 months for Dept to publish the report.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: "Approximately 5% of pens throughout the vessel, were initially observed to
be loaded with a higher number of cattle when compared to similar pens. This was observed to have impacted individual animal’s ability to turn, or move to another area, within the pen.....Animals were always keen at feeding times with some becoming quite aggressive at the trough; particularly for morning feeds from 7am.Aggression at the feed troughs was observed in many pens during the voyage when feeding was reduced, within Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock 2011 (version 2.3) (ASEL) requirements, to 2% of liveweight within the pen. Some lower hierarchy cattle were observed to
be unable to consume their fodder allocation, as the troughs could not be accessed by all penmates at the same time. This reduced the amount of feed on offer for those shy feeders accessing the troughs last."
IO also noted that as a result there was  significant lameness.
Photos show tight stocking density - 42 days of it. And DAWE stated ASEL compliant despite the IO comments.
"Only acknolwedgement of likely heat stress is as follows: During warmer and more humid conditions, some manure pads turned from firm to moist; but not watery. This seemed to be due to increased water intake per head, increased urination and
reduced evaporation." Experimentally, HST is 2 or higher when excessive urination occurs ie animals can no longer thermoregulate effectively.

Report 204: Nov 2019; MV Ocean Drover; Townsville to Jakarta and Panjang; 15 days; 0.08% (14/17227) cattle mortality. 5 stockperson. No problems. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: report-204_0.pdf

Report 205: Dec 2019; MV Girolando Express; Fremantle to Weifang; 16 days; 0.26% (5/1943) cattle mortality. Rough seas. Mild heat stress in heavy bulls. Extreme temperature variation and likely cold stress. No vet.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Days 11 and 12 rough seas and reduction in pellet consumption by the cattle... IO ststed no obvious physical effect on the cattle despite the fact that conditions were such that cattle were affected.
The average deck WBT 25-29°C reaching WBT of 30°C in the rear hold of Deck 4 (above the main engine). On day 7, the observer identified six heavy bulls as being the most heat affected, demonstrating a heat stress score 1. Then in China - very cold: IO reported that hatches were closed during the final three days of the voyage to prevent cold air from entering the cattle pens when WBT reduced to an average of 8°C by day 14. Extreme temperature variation not uncommon in voyages to Chinese winter.

Report 206: Dec 2019, MV Al Messilah, Fremantle to Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Oman; 23 days; 0.32% (201/62443) sheep mortality; 0.27% (2/731) cattle mortality. Water deprivation.  Heat stress on a Dec voyage. Vet onboard
IO SUMMARY: see report.
IO reported that Days 8 to 10 of the voyage high heat and humidity and an estimated 1% of sheep was observed to be panting at a higher rate than usual, with heat stress scores assessed as 2-3. Rapid nasal panting with an open mouth was observed, in less than 0.1% of the sheep, in the afternoon on Days 8 to 10 of the voyage.
On Day 14 water deprivation on with thirst and multiple refills required.
VALE COMMENTS:  It is odd that such significant heat stress should be seen but with only 1% of sheep being affected overall. No explanation provided.

Report 207: Dec 2019 (6 months to get report); MV Maysora; Fremantle to Israel and Jordan; 90/11318 cattle mortality; 119 sheep (0.28%) mortality (loaded figure not supplied but can be calculated). Cattle pads were soft to muddy with depths ranging from heel to hock suggesting heat stress though none reported. Ship zig-zagging also employed.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 208: Dec 2019, MV Ocean Shearer; Townsville and Darwin to Jakarta and Panjang; 16 days; (0.04%) 7/7345 cattle mortality. Adequate food loaded for ASEL but inadequate food to meet exporter instructions. Leg fracture when drain hole uncovered. Rear of Decks 4 and 5 had a reduced level of airflow and hotter than other areas. Average WBT 29.8°C; maximum WBT 32°C. Loading delay in Darwin. Vet onboard
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 209: Dec 2019;  MV Yangtze Harmony; Fremantle to Vietnam; 11 days; 0.43% (13/3005) cattle mortality. Wash down a disaster. Food and water deprivation. No AAV.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Some cattle did not have access to feed and water for up to 7 hours as the feed and water
troughs were removed from the pens during the wash down. Apparently no adverse animal welfare issues? BUT.."the hosing down of the pen floor during wash down on decks 6 to 8 was noted to frighten some older cattle, causing them to jam against the rails resulting in some injuries. The affected cattle manifested a stress response in the form of elevated pant score of 1 to 3. The elevated pant score was not associated with any heat stress event [and no doubt having no water was no problem during this time....or was that on another deck???]... Approximately 80% of the cattle on Decks 6 to 8 were observed to have a pant score of 3 with open mouth breathing for a duration of 30 minutesto 2 hours following the wash down. During wash down, a total of 13 cattle received injuries, or developed pneumonia following wash down. Of these, 8 did not recover from and were euthanased prior to discharge." Impressive animal welfare all round

Report 210: Dec 2019; MV Yangtze Fortune;  Portland to Huanghua, China; 21 days; 0.15% (7/4657). Inadequate food for pregnant cattle (1 animal died of ketosis). Mild heat stress. Stocking density/loadplan issues took 7 days to correct (1/3 voyage). Water leaks (routine for this vessel), drainage issues (routine for this vessel), inadequate ventilation. 11% (500) animals required treatment for ill health; unspecified number of cattle with dermatitis/ringworm reportedly untreated thus >11% animals with health problems. Vet onboard.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: see report; The Dept stated that procedural breaches did not cause poor health outcomes so why did >11% cattle have clinical illness(with 1 animal dying of ketosis) and 11% requiring treatment)? Dept sanitisation at its brilliant best

Report 211: Dec 2019; MV Al Shuwaikh; Fremantle to Kuwait, Qatar and UAE; 24 days; 0.35% (232/64737) sheep mortality; 0/532 cattle mortality. Heat stress. Pellet fines. Food deprivation (animals vocalising but DAWE advise no adverse outcomes).  Scabby mouth. Shearing cuts. Pneumonia. Inanition. Not loaded to plan so some pens overstocked for 6/24 days. Poor handling. Inability to euthanase properly. Problems identifying sick animals in upper tiers. IO not included in daily meetings fro Day 20 on (convenient).
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: just read the IO report - says it all and depressing.

Report 212: Jan 2020; MV Bahijah; Fremantle to Israel; 23 days; 0.6% (54/8954) sheep mortality; 0.36% (16/4190) cattle mortality; heat stress; food deprivation (and deaths due to it); ASEL breaches in sheep housing (not separated from cattle), load plan and lack of food, wool length exceeded 10mm...but "The causes of these mortalities were not considered to be linked to any systemic failure by the exporter."
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE SUMMARY: see report

Report 213: Jan 2020; MV Ocean Drover ; Portland to Fremantle to Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Karachi; 26 days. l4,122 cattle Portland 831 cattle and 35313 sheep from Fremantle. 78/35313 sheep mortality; 5(0.1%) cattle mortality. Not loaded to loadplan; water quality issues; injuries to poor infrastructure design; 1 abortion, 1 alive calf (non-ASEL compliant); many sheep with inflamed eyes at loading (ie unfit to load under ASEL); scabby mouth; heat stress (average deck WBT 25.5°C (21.4°C on Day 2 to 29°C on Day 11).
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: On day 16,  adequacy of ventilation reduced on decks 8 and 9 forward - HS Score 1 in sheep. On day 17, between 5-10% of sheep in the forward pens of decks 7, 8 and 9 were heat stress score 3 (would appear to have been serious ventilation issues given summer acclimatised sheep with max WBT 29°C); Dept not concerned by the ASEL non-compliance.

Report 214: Feb 2020; MV Anna Marra (aka Awassi Express); Fremantle to Russia; 39 days; 57/12076 (0.34%) cattle mortality. No heat stress noted but it had to be there - these were Bos taurus cattle exposed to WBT 30°C  (above the HST for this type of cattle) and at the same time, the telltale wet pads of heat stress. " All pads remained firm until the equator, where increased humidity caused the pens to become clay or mud-like, to sloppy should read increased WBT/humidity resulted in heat stress with the increased water intake unable to be evaporated and thus voided as urine making sloppy pads. Many lamenesses and chronic pneumonias (long standing) but none the fault of the exporter. Fines - food issue as per usual.
IO SUMMARY: see report

Report 215: Feb 2020; MV Yangtze Harmony; Townsville to Hon La, Vietnam; 13 days; 3/3513 cattle mortality (0.08%). Stocking density not compliant with ASEL. Water troughs knocked off repeatedly as per every other report for this ship. Deck wet bulb temperatures averaged 28.3°C and reached a maximum of 30°C on days 4 and 6. Pad conditions were observed to deteriorate as the vessel passed the equatorial region on Day 6 due to leaking water pipes, unsecured water troughs knocked over and the high humidity and wet bulb temperatures on this day (with no heat stress?). The vessel was tilted portside from Day 6 to reportedly assist drainage of water from the deck - vessel drainage and trim non-compliant with MO43 (but no mention of that). Just as well that this vessel now gone as the Dept were never going to do anything about its repetitive issues.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Luckily  this vessel now gone as the Dept were never going to do anything about its repetitive issues.

Report 216: Feb 2020; MV Al Shuwaikh, 24 days; 0.2% (130/63948) sheep mortality. Heat stress up to score 3. 20% carcases too autolysed for PM (hmmm maybe heat stress?). Oh and 2 lambs born despite the IO/Dept stating no issues with ASEL compliance (hello!).
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE SUMMARY: Food fines (noted repeatedly on this ship in IO reports) reported as being <25%...does that mean 24% on occasion? WBT up to 30°C in some areas on Days 7-10 cossing the Equator. Scores mostly ranged from 0-2 throughout the voyage. A heat stress score of 3 was observed in <5% of the sheep on Decks 6-9 on Day 12. The observer believed that these sheep were heat affected due to the rate of change in temperature in these decks, rather than the recorded 29◦C at this time (an interesting observation after 12 days and crossing the equator). These sheep recovered and heat stress scores of 0-2 were observed the next day - indicating likely continuous heat stress at some level. AND this was in Feb!

Report 217: Feb 2020; MV Ocean Ute; Darwin to Panjang; 9 days; 0.02% (1/5224) cattle mortality; 0.56% (2/355) buffalo mortality; heat stress likely given the following comment: "There was some added discomfort and heat load associated with reduced pen space allocations.". ASEL non-compliant space allocation. No AAV.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: pen spaces taken up with food, insufficient space, WBT of 30°C with little diurnal variation and the only reason the cattle coped, according to the IO was that they were tropical acclimatised.

Report 218:  March 2020; MV Ocean Shearer; Fremantle to Kuwait, Qatar and UAE; 20 days; 0.14% (83/60,047) sheep mortality; 0/696 cattle mortality. AAV present.
IO SUMMARY: see report
VALE COMMENT: Apparently no heat stress despite WBT of 30°C on Days 5 and 6 as the vessel approached the equatorial region (unbelievable even in summer-acclimatised sheep). Questionable IO ability and knowledge.The presence of pellet fines delivered to feed troughs were a continual problem, particularly on the lower decks. Four sheep euthanased due to dog bite wounds and shearing injuries also present indicating that unhealthy sheep (non-compliant with ASEL) were loaded. Dept assessed as ASEL compliant.

Report 219; June 2020; voyage exemption; MV Al Kuwait; Fremantle to Kuwait; 17 days; 0.08% (28/33341) sheep mortality but 155 disappeared into thin air.."discrepancy". IO not present at the PMs as before 9am (convenient public servant hours). Significant heat stress (1-4) starting at the Equator.  IO and AAV animal welfare assessments incompatible with the videos available on the DAWE website.
IO SUMMARY: see document
IO ADDITIONAL REPORT: see document
IO VIDEOS: see website; note these were not taken at the hottest WBT
VOYGAGE DOCUMENTS: see document 1; see document 2
VALE COMMENT: to follow but needless to say it is pretty evident comparing the videos of sheep at Fremantle (WBT 13°C) with the videos at WBT of 27-29°C that the sheep were working really hard to cope and showing significant discomfort to all but the blind Freddy IO.

Report 220: May 2022; MV Al Messilah Fremantle to Kuwait and UAE; 23 days; 0/368 cattle mortality; 60/53624 (0.11%) sheep mortality. AVA stated no ship should sail with sheep to ME between May and October so it is no surprise that there was heat stress as usual...and and as usual brushed under the carpet by DAFF who think that just because a sheep stops open-mouth panting in a fearful situation (ie better, if possible, to cope with the heat than show vulnerability to a predator when sheep are a prey species) that heat stress wasnt an issue. The sloppy pads for both cattle and sheep tell the true story - sloppy pads, if not due to leaks, only occur with heat stressed animals. DAFF at its blinding best and ignoring science as usual. Oh and the fact that 1000s of sheep loaded with wool that was too long wasnt a welfare issue even though they were more prone to heat stress....and on it went. No penalties for breaches of ASEL compliance - nothing new there.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 221: June 2022; MV Girolando Express; Darwin to Hon La, Vietnam; 10 days; 1/2679 cattle (0.04%) mortality. Perfect cattle voyage apparently.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 222; July 2022; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Hon La, Vietnam, 16 days; 10/3581 cattle mortality. Perfect cattle voyage albeit cause for mortalities not found with stockperson PMs (no surprise) and certainly more mortalities than Reports 221 or 223.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 223: Sept 2022; MV Ocean Ute; Townsville to Jakarta and Panjang, 11 days; 0/3718 cattle mortality. No mortality, very few treatments and appears to be another perfect voyage....seem to be a lot of these with the new Dept reporting system.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 224: Sept 2022; MV Aurochs; Darwin to Belawan (Indonesia) and Pasir Gudang (Malaysia); 13 days. 0 mortalities in 1063 cattle and 621 buffalo. Lack of water on a number of occasions, wet pads, inadequate bedding for heavy animals, ASEL non-compliance with respect to stocking density, lack of separation between cattle and buffalos, non-compliant animals loaded etc however Dept stated "No adverse effects on animal health and welfare" a record 7 times!!! Lack of water is a welfare issue regardless of whether the IO/Dept recognises that or not. Wet pads, lack of bedding etc also known welfare issues.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 225: Oct 2022; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle to Kuwait, Hamad and Jebel Ali; 23 days. 0/404 cattle and 69/50147; (0.14%) sheep mortalities. Feed pellets broke down into fines (fodder dust) - a recurring problem on voyages from Fremantle. No mention of heat stress but that doesnt preclude with 4 sheep too autolysed to necropsy and no mention of pads etc. A worthless report as per usual from Dept.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 227:Nov 2022, MV Al Kuwait; cattle and sheep exported to the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar; 22 days; 123/54,662 (0.23%) sheep mortality; 0/304 cattle mortality. Perfect voyage apparently. PMs on 86/123 sheep with PMs unable to be performed on 34 but 86+34 = 120 not 123. Sheep that couldnt be post mortemed were near port/shore or autolysed. No mention of heat stress despite mention of autolysis.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 228: Nov 2022; MV Bahijah; 20 days; 0/5602 mortality. ASEL non-compliance with respect to both stocking density and loading animals contrary to ASEL (unhealed dehorning wounds).
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 229: Nov 2022, MV Maysora; Fremantle to Israel and Jordan; 24 days; 6/3995 (0.1%) cattle mortality; 102/47721 (0.21%) sheep mortality. These mortalities are unlikely to be linked to any systemic failure by the exporter - according to the Dept they never are. Food fines (as per Report 231 - no systemic issues there?). Sheep escaped pens due to poor design (not the fault of the exporter). Cattle decks were washed down to manage sloppy pads on days 6 to 7, 11 to 12 and 14 to 15. Wet bedding occurs when heat stress occurs but no mention of heat stress, NOTE 2: Bedding was applied to some cattle pens where required after wash down (all cattle should have bedding under ASEL but no non-compliance noted).
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 230; Dec 2022; MV Al Messilah; sheep and cattle to Fremantle to Kuwait, UAE and Oman; 24 days; 0/113 cattle mortality; 144/58,732 (0.25%) sheep mortality. Perfect voyage apparently. 144 sheep died but only 68 had post mortems - no reason given. Inanition is such a convenient diagnosis.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 231; Jan 2023; MV Maysora; Cattle and sheep exported to Israel and Jordan; 23 days; 2/5,595 cattle 36/39,995 sheep mortality. Fines present (40 years and they cant get food right!) - also a problem on Report 229. Heat stress in cattle with wet pads from Day 6. Dept sanitised report with made no mention of heat stress.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 232: March 2023; MV Maysora Fremantle to Eilat, Aqaba and Muscat; 29 days; 13/5,146 (0.25%) cattle and 20/42,557 (0.05%) sheep. These mortalities were considered unlikely to be linked to any systemic failure by the exporter but there would appear to be a trend for cattle mortality exceed sheep mortality on this vessel and for higher cattle mortality than on other vessels travelling to the area (see Reports 235, 236 and 237).
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 233: March 2023; MV Al Kuwait; Fremantle to Jebel Ali, Kuwait and Muscat; 26 days; 0/50 cattle and 109/50,257 (0.22%) sheep mortality. Insufficient details provided to assess heat stress etc.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 234: MV Brahman Express; Townsville to Jakart and Panjang; 13 days. 0/3545 cattle mortality. No problems identified but like Report 235, the exporter personnel (stockperson) under-reported wet bulb temperature (by 2 degrees).
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 235: April-May 2023; MV Maysora;cattle and sheep from Fremantle to Eilat and Aqaba: 25 days; 27/9,252 (0.29%) cattle and 14/28,344 (0.05%) sheep mortality. High rates of BRD in cattle but Dept judged that these mortalities are unlikely to be linked to any systemic failure by exporter as routine despite the fact that another voyage by another company managed 0 cattle mortalities in the same time month (Report 236) - cant cut it both ways here - either there was heat stress/shipboard problems OR there was a failure by exporter to ID BRD before loading. Also extremely concerning: a registered veterinarian  measured wet bulb temperatures 4 degrees lower than the IO with no explanation of the discrepancy. Heat stress present on the voyage (very evident as sloppy pads and consistent with the IO WBT being above the HST for cattle) but neither the AAV or IO noticed any (extraordinary). Clearly neither know why sloppy pads develop onboard ships. Dept made the bizarre comment that bovine respiratory disease (yes, disease) has no effect on animal health.
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 236: April 2023; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle to Kuwait, UAE and Oman; 23 days. 0/264 cattle mortality; 81/59546 (0.14%) sheep mortality  0.14% sheep (81 mortalities). Minimal information provided in the IO report. Problems with pen infrastructure noted (and not fixed by the next voyage as repeat problem) and the IO found a hole in the floor (why did crew, AAV and stockperson not? ...just serendipitous?).
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 237; May 2023; MV Al Messilah; Fremantle to  Kuwait and UAE;  23days; cattle mortaliity 0/632, 91/54988 (0.17%) sheep mortality. A seemingly perfect voyage but worth noting that after all these years, penning still didnt follow ASEL and that pens still unsuitable for small sheep (how long has this vessel been operating?). Most interesting that one of the causes of death was noted as "water belly" - not a professional or specific veterinary diagnosis or term (typically term used by laypeople to describe urethral obstruction from urinary calculus/calculi but could feasibly be used for any cause of abdominal fluid accumulation).
IO SUMMARY: see document

Report 238: May 2023; MV Maysora; Fremantle to Jordan; sheep mortality cattle mortality. 5% sheep non-compliant with wool length exceeding ASEL. This was such a concern that the regional veterinary officer discussed it prior to departure (but of course sailing still allowed). On day 4, cattle and sheep were observed penned adjacent to each other and not separated
by an impermeable barrier not compliant with ASEL s5.1.1c. Non-compliant handling at end destination whenever unobserved (Australia really does improve animal welfare standards overseas??) and death of pilot sheep at unloading likely due to smothering. Animals housed in areas not on load plan. Sheep  observed caught in rails between pens, or having escaped from pens on Deck 7with one sheep actually saved by the IO. Insufficient details of temperatures provided. The IO reported no open mouth panting but it is difficult to believe that sheep were not affected by heat when wet bulb temperatures as high as  as 32.6°C on day 16 with the longest continuous period above 31°C wet bulb temperature being  9 hours and 20 minutes and no information about how many continuous hours there were above 28°C, the heat stress threshold for sheep. The usual repetition of no adverse animal health or welfare effects and as per most voyages, multiple non-compliance issues observed.
IO SUMMARY: see document