About 80 people are protesting at Port Adelaide against the live export trade, as loading on the livestock carrier Bader III continues.

About a dozen trucks carrying cattle entered the shipping compound, and have begun to leave empty.

A calf escaped during loading this afternoon and was seen running around the compound.

Protester Nick Hancock said live export was unnecessary and cruel.

"We don't want this ship to be gone for good — we want all of the ships to be gone for good," he said.

"They're rust buckets, they're an eyesore, they don't need to be in existence, we don't need to do this any more — it's unnecessary, completely unnecessary."

The live export ship Bader III docked at Outer Harbor near Port Adelaide to collect tens of thousands of sheep destined for the Middle East. ( ABC Radio Adelaide )

The livestock ship is preparing the first shipment of South Australian sheep to the Middle East since disturbing images were aired of sheep dying on a different ship last year.

The ship has been in South Australian waters for more than a week — and docked at Port Adelaide this morning.

Federal Liberal backbencher Sussan Ley is planning a private member's bill to ban the live sheep export trade, but the Government is awaiting a series of reviews it commissioned.

The Greens' Sarah Hanson-Young wants the Government to act now, and repeated a call to immediately ban the live export trade.

"The highest number of sheep deaths, that's the record of the ship behind us. It is a ship of death," she said.

"Every time there is a scandal, every time footage comes out from on board these ships, we're told that the Government will do something to stop it, to clean it up.

"Excuse after excuse. We don't need another review, we need the trade ended."

The arrival of the ship prompted hundreds of people to protest at Outer Harbor last week, calling for an end to live exports.

Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) confirmed that an animal health officer is part of an observation team with the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, overseeing the loading of sheep onto the Bader III.