Sheep to be 'repatriated'
2003-10-10 12:15
Sydney - More than 50 000 Australian sheep marooned in the Persian Gulf for two months in a dispute over their health are heading back home because none of more than 20 countries approached would buy them or accept them for free.
Prime Minister John Howard said on Friday that slaughtering the sheep at sea, as recommended by animal welfare groups, was ruled out and repatriating them was the next best option.
He said government vets who had examined the sheep aboard the Dutch-owned Cormo Express declared them free from disease.
The saga began two months ago when Saudi Arabian authorities refused to take the cargo because of health concerns.
"We believe the refusal of the Saudi authorities to take the sheep was not a reasonable decision," Howard told Australia's ABC Radio.
Howard said that: "At the end of the day, bringing them home, and applying the strictest possible quarantine procedures... is a much better outcome than slaughtering them at sea."
Last week the government paid US$2.9m to the Saudi Arabian dealer who had paid US$5.7m for them two months ago.
About five thousand animals have died since 57 000 boarded the Cormo Express for the 16-day voyage to Jeddah on August 5.
Australia is the world's largest exporter of live animals, shipping more than a million cattle and six million sheep abroad each year.
Sapa-dpa
- SAPA