Live export: Who is to blame for deaths of 31 cattle in one-off Darwin to Broome shipment?

A blame game has erupted over the deaths of 31 cattle during and after a recent sea voyage from Darwin to Broome, with the two companies at the centre of the incident denying responsibility.

The cattle were part of a 1208 head consignment bound for processing at northern WA’s only major abattoir, Kimberley Meat Company, in early April.

KMC secured the one-off shipment to shore up its supply of cattle and enable its processing plant to resume operations after January’s historic flooding left it cut off from most suppliers.

Five cattle died during the voyage — an acceptable number under the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock — but another 18 followed “soon after unloading”, according to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

A DPIRD spokeswoman told Countryman four more died at Roebuck Export Depot — where the cattle were held before being trucked to KMC — shortly after tropical cyclone Ilsa struck the Kimberley coast on April 14.

“A further four deaths were reported to DPIRD by KMC on April 26,” the spokeswoman said.

KMC chief operating officer Erin Nolan could not be contacted for comment, but told media recently the majority of the deaths occurred while in the hands of “third parties”.

However, Primary Partners Proprietary Limited — a subsidiary of the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, which owns Roebuck Export Depot — has claimed cattle were already in “a distressed state” when they arrived at the facility.

A UNIQUE SITUATION

Because livestock are not ordinarily transported domestically by sea in Australia, KMC required special permits from Federal and State authorities, including DPIRD.

DPIRD’s import permit required the cattle to be held at Roebuck Export Depot prior to slaughter, rather than in KMC’s own yards, to ensure the consignment met biosecurity import conditions.

Ms Nolan told media KMC’s involvement in the handling of the cattle was “limited to the time that they arrived at our facility, which was the afternoon prior to slaughter”.

“Prior to that the cattle were handled by third parties not within our care, control or management,” she told the ABC.

A PPPL spokesman told Countryman its responsibility for the cattle began only at the “point of possession” at Roebuck Export Depot.

“Primary Partners is not responsible should cattle be delivered in a distressed state,” the spokesman said.

“Having said that, staff did all they could to ensure the comfort of the distressed cattle.”

Depot management immediately engaged a “local and well-trusted vet” to investigate the mortalities and assess the living cattle in a bid to give them “the best chance of survival”, the spokesman said.

“The (vet’s) report confirms that many of the unwell cattle displayed signs of respiratory disease and that respiratory disease was most likely the cause of death of the deceased cattle,” he said.

“The report expresses that many of the deceased cattle would have either been unwell at the time of departure from the Northern Territory, or they would have developed respiratory disease during transportation.”

PPPL chief executive Joe Morrison told the media recently that some cattle “were in poor condition” when they arrived at Roebuck Export Depot.

“I refute any suggestions that we led to those deaths,” Mr Morrison said.

The PPPL spokesman said the company “supports and commends the actions taken by the Roebuck Export Depot management team”.

CHIEF VET WEIGHS IN

DPIRD chief veterinary officer Michelle Rodan told media KMC reported the initial deaths to the department as required under its import permit.

She said a DPIRD livestock compliance inspector subsequently visited Roebuck Export Depot on April 11 and 12 and “found that there was no animal welfare issues at that time”.

“Subsequent to that, we had the cyclone go through there, and some significant rainfall events,” she told the ABC.

DPIRD said while some of the animals that died shortly after unloading from the vessel “were not suitable for post-mortem, examination of cattle from affected pens revealed evidence of respiratory disease, and some animals were treated for respiratory disease.”

“As the import permit holder and importer of the livestock, KMC was responsible for meeting the import permit conditions at all times,” the spokeswoman told Countryman.

“WA’s animal welfare legislation requires all parties to ensure that animal welfare requirements are met.

“The person-in-charge of the livestock has responsibility to ensure that animal welfare requirements are met. This does not remove the obligation on the owners of the livestock, in KMC, in also ensuring adherence to WA’s animal welfare legislation.”

Given the unique situation, Ms Rodan said ASEL regulations were not required to be adhered to.

“They left Darwin under NT animal welfare...legislation, and when they arrived in WA, they transferred to WA legislation,” she said.

DPIRD confirmed there was no “active investigation in relation to a prosecution”.

KMC is conducting its own internal review.