A whistleblower filmed conditions on the ship and provided the footage to Animals Australia, which showed it to Littleproud on Wednesday. “I saw footage provided to me by Animals Australia, which is very disturbing,” Littleproud said. It was subject to the standard investigation by the federal environment department because the number of sheep killed by heat stress pushed the mortality rate to 3.76%. The department said in 2017 that it would review its heat stress policies in time for the 2018 Middle Eastern summer. “This announcement by the minister speaks to the seriousness of this situation and the strength of the evidence provided to the Government,” a spokeswoman for Animals Australia said.

Source: The Guardian April 05, 2018 05:45 UTC