Live export ship carrying thousands of sheep and cattle for a month docks at Fremantle to offload some animals

The live export ship carrying thousands of sheep and cattle for nearly a month has docked at Fremantle with some animals expected to be offloaded on Thursday. The MV Bahijah has spent the past three days floating off the coast of Perth while veterinarians assessed the condition and welfare of up to 15,000 sheep and about 2000 cattle — valued at more than $2 million. Around 4am on Thursday, the ship berthed at Fremantle Port after being given the green light to do so. From here, some animals will be taken off. That number and reasons have not been given by the Department. The West Australian was previously told by Government sources that the animals were being unloaded because they were sick. The remaining animals are set to be re-exported to the Middle East. The Agriculture Department said, “The latest reports from the veterinarian on board the vessel suggest the livestock remain in good health, and there is no evidence of any significant health, welfare or environmental concerns”. Two independent veterinarians were taken to the vessel “for additional due diligence” to inspect the livestock and facilities on board on Wednesday. The Department is yet to release its findings. Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Beth Cookson said the Government and industry were “very conscious of the need to move quickly”. “People can have confidence we are focussed on achieving an optimal outcome for the health and wellbeing of the livestock on board while at the same time preserving Australia’s pristine biosecurity status,” Dr Cookson said. The boat departed from WA on January 5 and spent 25 days at sea after being ordered by the Department to turn back to Fremantle due to rising tensions in the Red Sea. It is now expected to take a longer 33-day route to Israel around Africa to avoid the Houthis rebel attacks. Questions have been raised over why the Department did not have a plan in place to deal with the livestock ahead of the boat’s arrival on Monday. Greens Deputy Leader and animal welfare spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi is calling on the Government to get the animals off the ship immediately and reject the exporter’s application to send the vessel back to sea. “Leaving sheep and cattle on the MV Bahijah in the scorching summer heat is animal torture. Sending them back out on another long journey is absolutely unacceptable,” Senator Faruqi said. “The Government already made one gross error by approving this trip through a conflict zone. There is no room to make another mistake when it will be the animals that suffer the consequences.”