00:00 The longer these animals are on the ship, the more they are suffering.
00:05 We know that from the government's own reports that are released from independent observers
00:11 that there is a high risk of disease on these ships, that sometimes the sheep don't adapt
00:15 well to the feed, they're standing in their own faeces, they're getting more stressed
00:19 and fatigued as the days go on, and with that brings a greater risk of disease.
00:23 So there is plenty of evidence, both from recent ship journeys as well as the published
00:30 science that these animals are suffering and that it's only going to get worse.
00:33 And we're calling on both the exporter and the Department of Agriculture to give us as
00:37 much information as possible.
00:39 At the moment there's been delays and reasons for delays such as biosecurity, but as far
00:45 as we understand those biosecurity concerns can be managed here on Australian shores and
00:50 we don't see any reason why these animals can't be offloaded and managed here in Australia.
00:55 The conflict in the Red Sea has been going on since October, November last year and in
01:00 December the RSPCA wrote to the exporters and asked that they proactively suspend shipments
01:05 to the Red Sea and they chose not to do so.
01:08 And so it really is at the fault of the exporters for continuing to prioritise these animals
01:12 as a commodity rather than as living, thinking, feeling beings and animals.
01:17 And so really the reason that we're at this situation now is because the exporters continue
01:22 to insist to send animals through that route, which has only brought us to the situation
01:27 that we're here at today.
01:28 [Silence]
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