Things have gone from bad to worse for livestock onboard the carrier Bahijah which now sits off the coast of Australia almost a month after its departure.
which now sits off the coast of Australia almost a month after its departure.The 2010-built, 7,900-dwt livestock carrier, formerly known as the Ocean Outback – registered to Israeli-based Bassem Dabbah Shipping and operated by Korkyra Shipping – left Freemantle on January 5 and on January 16 diverted from its route due to concerns regarding safety concerns from Houthi Rebels attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) then ordered the vessel to immediately return to Australia citing biosecurity risks and the welfare of the livestock as the main reasons for the decision.
Now, the ship with around 14,000 sheep and 2,500 cattle, which have been aboard the livestock carrier since January 5, is located just off the coast of Western Australia.
The vessel is now facing biosecurity issues as the livestock on board cannot be reintroduced to an Australian herd despite not having docked at any other port. There are no reports regarding the current health of the animals apart from Western Australia Premier Roger Cook stating that it was his understanding that the livestock was “in good health at the moment.” He further stated that, if the animals are to come on shore, they will be put in quarantine for a while due to biosecurity reasons.
The industry’s preferred plan is for the animals to be kept on the ship before being re-exported to the same market, taking the longer route around Africa. President of the WAFarmers livestock section Geoff Pearson told local media that the animals should be re-exported to the same market via the longer 33-day route around Africa because quarantining them would be “a whole logistical nightmare.” Pearson added that because the cattle had been in foreign waters aboard a ship that had carted foreign cattle, they effectively had to be treated as foreign livestock.
Australia’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Greens party have raised concerns regarding the wellbeing of the animals. The now stationary vessel now has very little ventilation and the animals have been in their own waste for nearly a month. Also, a heatwave is arriving in Australia with 40 degrees Celsius expected on Wednesday which could further endanger the livestock.
But the situation is not unprecedented as Australian Livestock Exporters Council chief executive Mark Harvey-Sutton told Australian media outlets. According to him, ships have turned back to Australia due to mechanical issues in the past, but the Bahijah voyage remains one of the longest voyages on record. Regarding the biosecurity risks, he said that they were “very much manageable” because the vessel hasn’t docked in any other port or picked up fodder from any other country.
And we are allegedly kind to animals. We are supposedly empathetic. Just stop this disgusting trade. The carcasses can be exported chilled or frozen, Halal and Kosher.
Yes i agree with you
Yes so true Australia should for once follow New Zealand STOP live export.
NZ did ban for short time only but the decision was quickly removed by the new guverment. Only a small vocal minority with no concern for local economy was behind the first decision supported by the Arden guverment. Once she resigned all her nice empathy proved to be just deep incompetence and NZ was left in the worst economical position ever.
Sad
Are they breeding stock perhaps?
ROFL
We will never be truely kind if we are not Vegan.
Live export, factory farming and slaughter in general is not kind. It is not humane. It is cruelty on an immense scale. It all needs to stop now. Please choose kindness.
You are a dope.
No
Recent discovery by Japanese scientists that plants talk to each other is proof that even they have life in them, so eating them will also be cruelty on an immense scale, both plants and animals have been ordained by God the All knowing, for man to eat and enjoy.
We have known for decades that plants communicate and gods are all fictional.
100% true. This is an outrage!
I’m sorry things have to die so humans can live! But that’s the way it is if you’re eating only veg you’re not healthy……
” if you’re eating only veg you’re not healthy……” ROFL. Don’t be daft and get an education.
Absolutely agree! This is inhumane
Yes you are right , all these live exporters should be rounded up put on a ship and let them rott
I agree this has ti be banned fair go thinking of dollars,poor animals with untold suffering Jane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_live_animal_exports
I totally agree.John has the right idea.
What has this world come to?
Maybe you have a special pet, think about it!
RogerCook premier WA he understood thd Animals are fine,While people in the know say otherwise.
Sheep like fish in the ocean at the moment,however on Hot ship😥
I see vessel sitting on anchor from where I live.
Could you send us a picture of the anchored vessel perhaps?
If so, send it to bojan@asiashippingmedia.com.
Best,
Bojan
Sorry mate,its 41 celc stay inside😉
Very true!
Diddums, bless.
Poor animals can you update with pics if possible
Maybe the authorities could be subjected to similar conditions for a month?
Sad irony of nowadays life: the government cares about “welfare of the livestock” so much, that made them standing without ventilation in their own sh…t for a month (“in good health”), same time carefully and methodically develops rescue plans, which are becoming fewer and fewer every day…
Waste is always removed for stock when they’re in barns, why aren’t they doing the same now? Haul it out! Rig up fans and air, what’s wrong with people? These aren’t difficult solutions, but you need to put in time and effort, so it’s sheer laziness and uncaring attitude. So sad.
The Australian government must take back those animals, and blow that ship but
Any person still breathing would fully realize that logistically and humanly , there is NO way those animals are ” fine” . Any being suffering those conditions would not be ‘ fine”. It’s always the non- speaking , and innocent who suffer human behavior and bad decisions.
100%
Shocking the double standards that Australia displays and the lack of clear constructive action this is a livestock floating torture chamber
Readers of Splash are not exactly renowned for being snowflake, ‘woke’, liberal lefty Marxists etc., which means the comments here probably reflect the views of society as a whole.
STOP THE TRADE
Nice biased try at projection.
Don’t be daft.
These idiots need to be locked up in these livestock ships to see what it’s like…
We Are Completely Sickened by this Cruel 3rd World Australian Export of Live Animals, Time to Stop this Horrible Trade in Now!
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/20/two-billion-and-rising-the-global-trade-in-live-animals-in-eight-charts
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/27/eu-revealed-to-be-worlds-biggest-live-animal-exporter
Oh no you couldn’t possibly bring the animals ashore and ‘quarantine’ them because it would be a ‘logistical nightmare’……that would be so inconvenient!!! It’s better they stay stuck on a boat not going anywhere in the 40 degree heat
This …bovine excrement… is marketing and consumerism gone too far.
There is nothing wrong with transporting the meat or the whole -dead- animals frozen.
But…then it’s not ‘fresh’…
As a matter of fact ‘aged’ beef is better.. opportunity!
Same with pigs in The Netherlands, a mayor exporter, they go alive to Italy or Spain, so it can be claimed the resulting ham is ‘authentic’ Italian or Spanish.
We are being bamboozled..and it is costly towards animal welfare, the environment and…our wallets.
Australia has a terrible reputation for animal cruelty. Its such a pity that so many of their population are indifferent to the suffering of their animals. Every year the horror stories come from Australia and nothing ever changes.
Who needs a devil when a flesh and bone man will do for a paycheck what a fallen angel could never imagine. Humans are self-glorified viruses gobbling up the weak and vulnerable. Working hard to make the rich even richer and feed suffering and misery to mouths that will never be full.
WTF??? – Quoted—- “Pearson added that because the cattle had been in foreign waters aboard a ship that had carted foreign cattle, they effectively had to be treated as foreign livestock.”
But that ship that ‘carted foreign cattle’ has already been in port collecting the poor creatures,
So anything that is a risk has already been a risk!!
Dont take the long route adding another 33+ days and bend to these bloody rebels, send some navy escorts and blow the away if any threatening actions are shown.
And then once this trips over
BAN THE LIVE EXPORT TRADE!!
Frozen genetics is the only options !
Unless air flights are feasable, to a max of specified hrs movement in one 24 hr period.
Human greed should not be at the exspense of others!! Critters included!
They like a tin of sardines on that ship. They not on holiday. You would not treat your family like that animals also have feelings.
What is wrong with people today? Get those animals off they can’t move they in shit now standing in it.
Do something someone in charge!
This is hideous!! Bring the animals ashore! Then stop this inhumane export of live animals once and for all!!!
No.
This is why being vegan is a risk, a superior species will eventually have it’s way with you. If not for the health benefits or flavor, eat meat for dominance.