Anger as 50,000 sheep face daunting journey

A ship laden with more than 50,000 Australian sheep has started the long voyage home after more than two months at sea, the Australian government said.

The sheep’s plight since being rejected by a Saudi importer last month has sparked a storm of protest from animal rights activists around the world and threatened to jeopardise Australia’s multimillion dollar live animal export trade.

About 5,400 sheep have died during the voyage.

The Dutch-owned MV Cormo Express left Kuwait in the early hours today having spent the past 70 days afloat in the Middle East since the sheep’s rejection on the grounds too many were suffering from a disease called scabby mouth.

Prime Minister John Howard assured farmers today the sheep would undergo a rigorous quarantine check before being allowed back into Australia for slaughter.

Farmers fear the animals could have picked up other diseases on their travels and bring them to Australia.

The ship will take about 10 days to reach the Cocos Islands, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, where it will be moored while vets test the sheep for disease.