Australia: Visisting Hinnomunjie Saleyard

There are approximately 900 young cattle for sale today. This sale happens once a year. The cattle were delivered yesterday and penned in selling pens, that have no water. We are told that after the sale, the cattle who are going to be loaded are put into a pen with water. They stay there for a short while, are loaded and transported away. However, for cattle who remain, they are cycled into pens with water, so that they can have a drink. We are also told that efforts are made to ensure that cattle have space to lie down and rest.

We did not see the conditions for cattle overnight. There are also issues with wire mesh that has been fixed to the sides of some pens. The wire is old and broken, with the sharp ends pointing into the pens. Our report to the operators and regulators will include all welfare issues.