LIVESTOCK exported to the Middle East and Vietnam have been mistreated and “lost” despite being sent under strict export guidelines.

The Department of Agriculture has just released three new reports which show breaches to the Export Supply Chain Assurance Scheme.

The three reports show the ESCAS system has broken down and stock have been either mishandled, or “lost” from the ESCAS chain, meaning their welfare is not known.

One of the reports concerns cattle which were exported to the Gaza Strip, via Israel, being mistreated in November last year.

In that case, major exporter Livestock Shipping Services Pty Ltd could not account for nine cattle.

The review also noted there was “evidence of non-compliance with OIE animal welfare recommendations for cattle at the abattoir”, which had previously been approved by the ESCAS system.

“A major non-compliance has been recorded against the LSS Gaza supply chain for animals outside of their approved supply chain and poor animal handling and slaughter not consistent with OIE recommendations,” the report said.

It was the second breach for LSS exporting cattle to Israel.

And in another hit to LSS, it admitted there were “elements of poor animal handling” when cattle were unloaded earlier this year a the Port of Eilat, in March.

This was also subject to a Department of Agriculture compliance review.

In this instance, the video showed kicking and punching of animals.

LSS told the review the cruelty was carried out by local stevedores, and would work with local authorities to improve animal handling.

The review has now referred the matter to local authorities.

The third compliance report about cattle sent to Vietnam showed there was a “loss of control with the exporter’s ESCAS arrangements”.

In this case, 26 cattle were sold to non-ESCAS approved abattoirs.

One of these abattoirs did not have a loading ramp, three did not have a restraint box for killing the cattle and one did not meet international animal handling requirements.

Animals Australia spokeswoman Lisa Chalk said the department’s report failed to reflect the scale of abuse that Australian cattle have been subjected to in Gaza.

“All cattle exported to Gaza, numbering in the thousands, have met horrendously cruel deaths as even the approved abattoir in Gaza failed to meet basic standards,” she said.

“That the exporter implicated continues to export, despite nine subsequent complaints revealing horrific cruelty and ongoing non-compliance in Gaza, completely undermines public confidence in this regulatory system.”