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Fri May 2 2008
Raised on large, remote farms, Australian sheep enjoy space to roam and very little human contact.
But due to Australia's live export industry, millions of Australian sheep suffer a fate far worse than death every year. They are destined for a horrific journey to slaughter overseas - herded onto a packed truck and driven across the country, sometimes in scorching heat.
It's then on to a ship where conditions are much worse. They're terrified and will spend up to three weeks on the crowded ship. With around three sheep to one metre square, there is little room to move and an unfamiliar diet of pellets means many animals may not eat for the entire journey.
Stress, heat-exhaustion, injury and disease result in the death of around 1000 sheep on each ship of 100,000. Those that survive the journey arrive in countries with no or unenforced animal welfare legislation where they are often transported, handled and slaughtered in the most barbaric way.
It's just cruel.
It's also completely unnecessary. Australia already exports chilled meat to many countries it sends live animals to. Replacing live export with a growth in the trade of chilled meat, humanely killed as close to the farm as possible, will benefit both animals and Australia.
Together we can stop this appalling journey of cruelty. You can take action. Visit www.handlewithcare.org.auand do your bit to end this senseless act of cruelty.
Thank you for helping create a world where animals matter and animal cruelty ends.
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