Last year we told you about
Emanuel Exports. The company got into hot water when they shipped more than 64,000 sheep to the middle east in 2017.
During the voyage, 2,400 sheep perished from overheating. Shocking undercover footage released to Animals Australia and 60 Minutes captured how the sheep suffered before they died.
The mass death wasn't the company's first,
in 2016 the Perth-based exporters lost more than 3,000 head of sheep under similar circumstances. But after the 2017 deaths, the government said they would launch an investigation to determine whether or not the company had broken animal welfare laws.
Now 2 years after the poor sheep perished, Western Australia (WA) authorities have filed animal cruelty charges against the company and two executives. If the executives are found guilty, they could face a maximum penalty of $250,000 Australian or 5 years in jail.
This company has a history of animal abuse, their callous behavior, and treatment towards the sheep that were making them rich is shameful and they must be held responsible for the thousands of animal deaths at their hands. Whether it was a mistake, poor planning or sheer and purposeful corner-cutting that led to the mass die-off is immaterial, what is important is that companies must be held accountable. Their big pockets shouldn't allow them to escape culpability.
Australia has created some regulations designed to alleviate the very worst cruelty in live exports. But Emanuel Exports can't even comply with their loose restrictions.
After more than 5,000 animals have died under their care in just two shipments, the government should have all the proof they need. It's time to throw the book at Emanuel Exports and the executives that allowed these disasters to happen.
Please sign the petition and tell Alannah MacTiernan, WA's minister of agriculture to demand maximum punishment for those responsible.
Photo credit: YouTube