We are at the Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre. Today approximately 34,000 lambs were offered for sale here. Fortunately it is not very hot, because the animals would have had difficulty thermoregulating while being tightly packed in the pens.
We observed numerous cases in which lambs that are lame or unable to bear weight on a leg are being offered for sale as so-called “cripples.” Despite animal welfare laws and guidance that clearly state unfit animals must not be transported, this still happens frequently. Regulatory enforcement is inadequate.
Overall the handling of the animals is acceptable, but one scene shocked us: we observed an unleashed dog chasing a sheep. The sheep ran off in panic, jumped over a gate and somersaulted, landing on its back. When it got up its leg was broken. The person responsible for the dog had little control and allowed the dog to relentlessly continue the chase. The dog was eventually removed. The sheep was stressed, in pain and panting heavily. We arranged for the animal to be shot to relieve it of its suffering.
As always, we will document our observations and findings in our report to the manager and the industry.
