Live sheep exported by sea face some of the most severe documented welfare conditions in farm animal transport, with high mortality, heat stress, and disease on voyages lasting weeks.
Long-distance live sheep export represents one of the most severe welfare failures in modern animal agriculture. Sheep packed onto multi-deck ships for voyages of 3-5 weeks face heat stress, respiratory disease, starvation, and trampling. Those that die slowly on deck may not be removed promptly. The hidden camera footage from the Awassi Express case galvanised public and political attention in a way that welfare monitoring statistics had not. The Australian decision to ban live sheep export is a significant welfare milestone, though implementation is contested. The case illustrates how transparency and documentation of welfare conditions can drive policy change when formal monitoring fails.