Thousands of sheep, pigs, and cattle are being subject to emergency killings after being transported to Australian export abattoirs, an analysis of internal government records shows. Curtin University researchers have also found that it takes almost 11 hours, on average, to inspect animals for injury and sickness after they arrive at facilities. This delay significantly increases the likelihood of animals requiring emergency euthanasia.
In April, Guardian Australia exposed instances of animal cruelty at the nation’s export abattoirs, including the mass hypothermia death of 103 sheep during truck transport which went unpunished by the state regulator. The researchers from Curtin University have been investigating animal welfare issues linked to Australia’s export abattoirs by analyzing welfare incident reports from 2020 and 2021.
The study found that emergency killing was the most common response to welfare incidents, affecting approximately 60% of cases, or 2,476 animals. An additional 140 animals were found dead on arrival. Prof. Clive Phillips, one of the paper’s authors, stated that such conditions are detrimental for any animal.
The paper recommended a range of reforms, including stronger farm inspections and financial incentives for transporting only fit animals. Despite these concerns, a spokesperson for the federal agriculture department mentioned that the regulation of livestock transport is a matter for state governments, and abattoirs are expected to have procedures to assess livestock on arrival. If the livestock is not suitable for slaughter, appropriate action must be taken. The Australian Meat Industry Council classified these incidents as “0.0058% of the total number of animals processed through export abattoirs.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/17/livestock-euthanised-over-welfare-issues-after-transport-to-export-abattoirs-ntwnfb
