Louise Ward: Programs Lead at FOUR PAWS Australia

The horrifying cruelty inherent in the live export of animals by sea has been well documented over the years amid a catalogue of disastrous voyages that have seen tens of thousands of animals suffer and die agonising deaths on board live export ships.

But whilst the majority of the Australian public is aware of the dire animal welfare outcomes entwined in the live export industry – and research shows that 78% of Australians want the trade to end* – there is an adjacent animal welfare issue that often goes unnoticed.

The transportation by road of live animals is a distressing adjunct to the live export trade.  It sees 600 million animals in Australia alone, including cattle, sheep and goats, in addition to chickens, horses and pigs, undertake long, arduous road journeys, sometimes in extreme weather conditions, and often while stacked on top of each other.

It’s an issue that animal welfare organisation, FOUR PAWS Australia, a founding member of peak body organisation the Australian Alliance for Animals, has been highlighting for several years in Europe, and is now throwing the spotlight on in Australia.

It’s new campaign – #AnimalsNotCargo – seeks to raise awareness of the animal cruelty issues inherent in the transportation of live animals by road, which can see living, breathing, sentient beings trapped and cramped into trucks while being deprived of food and water for up to 48 hours at a time.

Louise Ward, Programs Lead at FOUR PAWS Australia, explains that the transportation standards for live animals are not only weak and outdated, but have no rigorous monitoring or enforcement throughout the country.

“It’s the responsibility of each state to implement the standards, though we’ve found there is little transparency and documentation in this area, which is concerning,” explains Louise.

“The national standards relating to the land transport of livestock were set out in 2012, but things are done very differently in each jurisdiction, which means there can be gaps in consistency across borders, whilst at the same time there is no real enforcement of the standards happening that we can verify.

“This means that animals can, in effect, be transported by road for up to two days, in boiling temperatures, with no food or water, while standing in their own waste, or while they have limbs trapped between slats.  The lack of consistent and ongoing monitoring is appalling. 

“We also know there are issues around unloading animals to rest them, and where and when this can happen, or indeed if there are the facilities to do this when needed.

“What’s more, animals can be deprived of food or water before they are even loaded, in an attempt to reduce their manure and urine, which they can slip on during transportation.

“If they are animals which are being taken to ships for live export, their arduous journeys are only just beginning, which we are sure most Australians would think is totally unacceptable.”

As part of its #AnimalsNotCargo campaign, FOUR PAWS Australia is highlighting the low training standards required of truck drivers who, in Australia – unlike their European counterparts – are not required to have any mandatory training to transport live animals. 

“FOUR PAWS is a global animal welfare organisation with an office here in Australia, and our European colleagues have campaigned on this important issue for years, which is really informative for our plans here in Australia,” says Louise

“Our research shows that Australian standards are very much behind those in Europe, where drivers have to have special training to assist them in understanding how particular road conditions, coupled with animal movement, can influence driving hazards.

“In comparison, anyone with a standard Australian truck licence can transport hundreds of live animals in tiered trailers, which is hugely concerning from a road safety perspective

“Not only is this an obvious animal welfare issue, it’s also a serious concern for the drivers themselves, as well as other road users.”

FOUR PAWS Australia points to a catalogue of crashes and rollovers involving packed trucks of animals, which have resulted in many serious injuries being sustained by truck drivers, as well as the deaths of many thousands of livestock over recent years.

In July 2024, 22 cows were killed when a truck carrying cattle crashed into a rail bridge. The tragedy saw the top deck of the trailer crushed, with about 22 out of 75 cattle either dying or being euthanised at the scene, according to Agriculture Victoria.

The previous year, a truck driver suffered serious head injuries after his cattle truck rolled on a major highway in Queensland, with dozens of animals dying at the scene.

And in 2022, dozens of cows died at the scene, and a number were required to be euthanised, after a cattle truck overturned in Sydney’s West.

“There have been many terrible instances like this in recent years and these crashes and truck rollovers unfortunately aren’t isolated incidents, they happen far too regularly throughout regional Australia,” adds Louise.

“FOUR PAWS Australia believes the current legislation does not adequately provide good welfare outcomes for animals, particularly the length of journeys they are forced to endure.

“Our research looking at the CSIRO figures we can get hold of, as well as industry data, reveals there needs to be a whole set of improvements related to driver training, increased animal welfare standards and enforcement and compliance.

“We are calling for a maximum transport time of eight hours for cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, four hours for poultry and a ban on the transportation of unweaned animals, including calves.

“Issues like this become political, but we say this is not an issue for the left or right side of politics. It’s a real concern for all Australians who want to see higher welfare standards for Australian animals and tighter road safety regulations for all road users. 

“We intend to lobby for the standards to be reviewed and updated as a priority.  Every journey brings fear and stress to the animals involved and, the longer the journey, the more suffering is endured.

“For the welfare of these sentient animals, we think Australia can do much better.”

*Research: McCrindle 2023.