The cases relate to shipments of cattle from Australia in the 12 months to May.
In the May 2018 case, staff in two Vietnam abattoirs in the company Livestock Shipping Services’ supply chain were observed ‘‘using unapproved movement aids, moving and handling animals in a manner non-compliant with (the standards)... and uncertainty around stunning and consciousness checks being competently performed’’.
As well, an audit traced 401 head of cattle — which were missing in an initial check — to ‘‘feedlot mortalities or euthanasia’’. There were no veterinary reports for 278 of them.
LSS said it welcomed the agriculture department’s findings and was committed to compliance with the new standards.
‘‘We know there is always more to be done and we will continue to invest in our supply chains, so they uphold Australia’s position as leaders in animal welfare,’’ managing director Ahmad Ghosheh said.
The Australian Livestock Exporters Council said its assessors had been in the Vietnam market and so far found no wide-scale problems.
However, there were areas that could be significantly improved in a small number of supply chains, the council said.
‘‘As an industry we must always uphold the highest standards of animal welfare, which includes the highest standards of traceability in-market which exporters are responsible for,’’ ALEC chief Mark Harvey-Sutton said.
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