Animals’ Angels visits Ouyen Livestock Exchange where approx. 18500 sheep are for sale.
The facility struggles with this number of animals and stocking densities are in many pens unacceptably high. In one pen we observe the sheep move away from people who are walking nearby and as a result sheep at the other end of the pen are squashed under other animals and unable to rise. When the pen is emptied one dead sheep remains. This is the worst pen we have seen at this yard.
We also find a sheep who has collapsed in an outgoing pen. He/she is unable to rise and is gravely ill. The sheep is shot without delay, but management and Animals’ Angels are understandably irate that others who had been near the pen did not report the suffering sheep.
The facility is not under cover and has dirt floors in reasonable condition. However, we note several serious animal welfare problems including maintenance and repairs and will provide recommendations for improvements in our report.
