Animal care is the first priority for everyone involved in the Australian livestock export industry.

During the voyage

All livestock export ships comply with the following strict standards:

• Feed and water are constantly available to the animals during the voyage. Volumes are stipulated and checked prior to departure.
• Animals have space to walk around and lie down in their pens.
• To ensure fresh air, ventilation systems provide each deck of the ship with a full air change at least every two minutes.
• Highly trained, accredited Australian stockmen support the crew by providing care to animals throughout the voyage.
• A veterinary kit ensures adequate supplies of veterinary treatments if required.
• Animals that become sick are isolated and cared for in special 'hospital' pens.

Each livestock shipment travelling to the Middle East must also:

• Perform a heat stress risk assessment and implement preventative measures before sailing.
• Be accompanied by an Australian veterinarian accredited by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS).
• The vet provides a report on each voyage to AQIS.

These rules are managed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority under its Marine Orders, which also set standards for shipboard design, pen size and lighting.

On arrival

When the ship docks, quarantine vets inspect all animals for illness and must sign-off on their health before they are unloaded.

The animals then spend a short time in a feedlot, where they are well fed and closely monitored to ensure they are in top condition before going to market.

The livestock export industry is investing both money and human resources into improving the way Australian animals are handled and processed in overseas markets.

This includes investing heavily in training the staff of local abattoirs and feedlots in the proper handling of our animals. In the Middle East this training is carried out by a dedicated team of animal welfare specialists based permanently in the region. 

To date this team has improved facilities across the Middle East and worked with importers, feedlot managers and stockmen to help them better understand how to work with Australian animals. This is part of a wider program involving liaison with Middle Eastern governments to ensure there are suitable standards and processes in place for how Australian animals are treated upon arrival in the region, as well as investment in new equipment and the upgrading of facilities.