Animals Australia has urged Agriculture Minister David Littleproud to show shocking footage of cruelty on live export ships to his Middle Eastern counterparts.
The pressure from the animal welfare group comes as support grows for Liberal MP Sussan Ley's private member's bill, which if passed, would ban the sheep trade to the Middle East over a period of five years, with a freeze in the interim during the summer months.
"I know all the arguments used to support the live sheep trade because I ran them myself for 15 years... the case for continuing long-haul live sheep export fails on economic and animal welfare grounds," she said as she introduced the bill to parliament.
Sussan Ley believes farmers have been deceived. Source: AAP
"The demand for live sheep comes from it's cheap retail price, not cultural or refrigeration reasons."
Mr Littleproud is visiting Kuwait and Qatar to reassure those countries Australia will continue the trade of live sheep after a crackdown on dodgy exporters.
In a letter to Mr Littleproud seen by AAP, Animals Australia chief executive Glenys Oogjes asks him to show the vision of sheep dying in their own filth on an August 2016 voyage to the Middle East.
The rotting bodies of sheep that died en route to the Middle East. Source: Animals Australia
Almost 2500 animals died on that voyage.
The footage sparked the industry's latest crisis, compelling the government to announce an overhaul of the trade on the advice of recommendations from vet Michael McCarthy.
Ms Oogjes told Mr Littleproud the Kuwait and Qatar governments should see the images to determine whether the trade meets animal welfare and religious requirements.
It comes after a US expert in Islamic law raised concerns about Middle Eastern countries supporting the trade if they were shown the conditions during the northern hemisphere summer.
Harvard University professor Kristen Stilt said the overcrowding and heat stress present in the footage did not comply with Islamic law.
"The sheep standing or lying in their own excrement for three weeks are also at risk for contracting diseases and producing meat that is not halal," she said.
"The same is true for animals who are confined in pens where other animals are becoming sick and dying."
Mr Littleproud announced a raft of reforms to the industry last week, including more room for sheep on live export ships.
Every vessel will have an independent observer to keep a close eye on conditions.
The government will attempt to legislate for harsh new penalties for animal welfare breaches including jail terms of up to 10 years.
