Animals‘ Angels visits Ballarat saleyard. 30.000 sheep are for sale today. The sheep pens are neither roofed nor equipped with water troughs. This is problematic, especially due to temperatures of up to 28 °C and high density inside the pens. Many of the partly unshorn sheep stand tightly packed which prevents air circulation and the animals from thermo-regulating.
The high density also interferes with their need to rest as there is little to any room to lie down. And even if they could, getting up would be very difficult. The uneven and hard floor obviously causes discomfort to many sheep. They are used to soft ground, so the sudden change can cause them severe pain.
The market staff’s efforts to identify sick and injured sheep are insufficient. Besides, there are no inspectors of the agriculture department present today for routine inspection. After we report to the market staff some animals who, in our view, are unfit for transport, we call in some inspectors. Emaciated sheep or those suffering from lameness or udder infections are killed at the instruction of the inspectors.
