Aussie maritime inspectors raise concern over welfare of exported live sheep

SYDNEY, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Australian maritime inspectors have raised new concerns about a livestock freight ship linked to the death of 2,400 sheep that were being exported from Australia to the Middle East last August, authorities said on Monday.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority officials inspected the Panama-flagged livestock carrier MV Awassi Express in Fremantle port, Western Australia, on Sunday and "raised some concerns about air flow" over its sheep pens, a spokesperson for the national agency told Xinhua in a statement.

The vessel "will have to arrange a third-party air flow verification report to prove compliance with air flow standards" before it can be issued a certificate to carry livestock.

Last August, the ship, loaded with more than 63,800 sheep and 50 cattle, departed Fremantle for Hamad port in Qatar and "suffered a high mortality" of 2,400 sheep. Australian media have reported the alleged mistreatment of animals linked to the ship, with Agriculture and Water Resources Minister David Littleproud issuing a statement on Sunday highlighting his concerns and requests for investigations into the case.

Australia exported more than 1.95 million live sheep in 2017, 4 percent more than the number of the previous year, with the bulk of them going to Europe, Middle East and North Africa, according to figures from the nonprofit Australian Livestock Export Corporation industry group. Enditem