Perth court throws out cruelty charges against live sheep exporter

A landmark Animal Welfare case against a Western Australian live sheep exporter has been thrown out of the Perth Magistrates Court.

Emanuel Exports was charged with three offences when 1,000 sheep died on a boat while travelling from Fremantle to the Middle East in 2003.

Emanuel was charged with transporting animals in a way to cause harm, not providing proper food, shipping sheep at the wrong time of the year and not providing proper health checks.

Magistrate Catherine Crawford found the WA Animal Welfare Act to be invalid, because live export is governed by Commonwealth Law, and that overrides State Law.