(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - UP TO 800,000 Australian sheep, worth $92 million, arrived in the Middle East recently to feed more than one million families during the Eid al Adha festival this week.
In order to ensure the welfare of these animals, a team of Australian producers and specialists are on the ground educating locals about how to correctly handle and transport our sheep.
Working with local stockmen in Qatar and Bahrain, the Australian contingent is part of the livestock export industry’s “In the ute not the boot” program teaching locals how to transport sheep in appropriate vehicles. Optimal transportation includes the use of a new Australian invention – the sheep trolley – designed to easily move sheep in-line with international animal welfare guidelines.
“Eid al Adha is an important Islamic religious festival where local families and communities buy sheep and share the meat with family, friends and poorer members of the community,” said Peter Dundon, MLA/LiveCorp Livestock Services Manager in the Middle East and Africa.
“We have a great team working here with the locals, sharing expertise and building awareness of how to transport sheep,” he said.
“We’re proud to be using Australian know-how, commitment, hard work and inventions – such as the sheep trolley – to ensure our sheep are transported well.”
In 2009, the Middle East imported 3.059m Australian sheep worth $297m.
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