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Four Corners’ 2011 expose of the brutal mistreatment of Australian cattle in Indonesia shocked many and had far reaching consequences for the live export trade. Tough new regulations were introduced to protect the welfare of Australian animals shipped overseas for slaughter.
But weeks ago news emerged from Pakistan of a brutal cull of 20,000 Australian sheep, ordered by the local authorities in Karachi. Sheep exporter Wellard told the Federal Government they lost control when police with semi-automatic weapons forced their employees away from the compound where the sheep were being held.
How did a major exporter lose control of a shipment of sheep in Pakistan, originally intended for Bahrain? Why was the Australian Government rebuffed by Pakistan when they tried to stop the cull? What does this gruesome episode say about the future of the live export trade?
Local authorities said the cull was carried out humanely. Pictures taken at the scene tell another story. This is a story the industry doesn’t want told – you be the judge.
