Thousands of sheep wait to be loaded onto the transport ship. Notice the tiers of pens at the top left of picture - their "home" for the next three weeks (all things going well).

Australia's Live Sheep Trade

The Facts
In September 1996, nearly 70,000 sheep were abandoned at sea on the carrier Uniceb and slowly burned to death or were drowned or starved. Each year, more than 100,000 sheep die on these voyages - of disease, heat, cold and starvation. Another 150,000 die in Middle East feedlots.

The Conditions
During the 3-week journey, sheep are immobilised in an area hardly bigger than themselves. They cannot exercise - they can scarcely move. They live on pellets, they stand in their own excrement.

The Slaughter
Sheep which survive the journey and the unloading are killed by having their throats cut without pre-stunning.

The Cost
To the sheep: Long weeks of suffering, followed by an agonising death.

To the environment: Approximately 4,000 tonnes of manure and 2-6 million litres of urine are washed into the sea each voyage. Bodies of sheep which die at sea are thrown overboard.

To the economy: About 12,000 meatworking and associated industry jobs are lost to the Live Sheep Trade. (Until the world goes vegetarian, this is the lesser of the two evils).

A look inside one of the ships. Conditions are similar to intensive livestock production. On 27 March 1980, the Farid Fares caught fire and sank. The entire "cargo" of 40,605 sheep perished. The torment and death often begin even before the voyage – many accidents occur. Click here to see a picture of a truckload of sheep that died on the way to the ship when the truck carrying them overturned. Warning: It's not pretty.

Things CAN change

What can you do?

Sample letter to The Minister that you can print.