The government yesterday rejected as untrue reports that 50,000 Australian sheep stranded aboard a ship in the Middle East were about to run out of food, while their Saudi owner tried to give them away for free.
The sheep were barred from Saudi Arabia last month after officials there claimed that 6 percent of the 57,000 animals were infected with scabby mouth disease -- 1 percent more than the Saudi government allows.
The animals' fate has shone the spotlight on Australia's multimillion dollar live export trade, which animal rights activists denounce as inhumane because livestock are transported for weeks in ships that are often crowded and extremely hot.
Live sheep shipments are worth about A$195 million (US$124.8 million) a year to Australian exporters.
The sheep's owner is now offering to give away those that haven't already died in the scorching heat after his efforts to sell them were unsuccessful. An Australian vet on board the MV Cormo Express has told media outlets that up to 4,000 sheep have already died, but the government says it is more like 1,150.
Animal rights activists have offered to help have the sheep destroyed to end their suffering.
The opposition Labor Party said yesterday the government's efforts to get port access to pick up feed for the animals had been unsuccessful.
"Labor understands the ship has been unable to obtain more than limited fodder supplies and if additional supplies cannot be found, the situation may become critical later today,'' opposition leader Simon Crean and primary industries spokesman Kerry O'Brien said in a joint statement.
But Agriculture Minister Warren Truss denied a looming crisis.
"Claims that the sheep will run out of fodder today are untrue," his spokesman said on condition of anonymity. "The Australian government has been advised in writing ... from the master of the Cormo Express that there is adequate fodder on board and arrangements are being made to take on more."
Crean and O'Brien said the duration of the voyage -- it is now seven weeks since the ship left Australia -- and a high mortality rate meant the crisis had to be brought to an end.
"Mr. Truss's incompetence has brought the live export industry to its knees and damaged Australia's trade reputation and animal welfare standing,'' they said.
Truss said the government would continue to help the Saudi owners find a taker for the sheep.
Kevin Shiell, chief executive officer of livestock export group Livecorp, said negotiations with an unnamed government to accept the sheep were continuing.
Livecorp, which sold the animals, said the sheep are in good condition, have plenty of feed and water and are not stressed.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese