The footage was first broadcast on 60 Minutes on Sunday and showed images from an August 2017 voyage in which 2400 sheep died.

The incident was the subject of a Department of Agriculture and Water Resources investigation, which was published last week.

Mr Jochinke, of Murra Warra, said he hoped the tragedy would signal a change in the way exporters were held accountable for their actions.

“This has to be something that is done properly and as a producer I was gutted when I saw the footage,” he said. 

“People need to be held accountable. The amount of time and money producers put into caring for a good product, it’s a disturbing and pressing issue.”

Although there weren’t any sheep from the Wimmera region on the boat, Mr Jochinke said the local reaction showed the frustration that producers had when events like this happened.

“It’s just totally unacceptable,” he said. “There will be a sharper focus on how the sheep and other livestock are transported overseas. Producers still like to see that overseas market available to them, so I don’t think it will affect that too much.”

He said the most important thing was making sure animal welfare was up to scratch, especially the condition of the transport boats.

“These boats are crossing climatic zones and need to be appropriate for the destination as well as the journey,” he said. “The ship needs to be able to handle these changes and needs to be built for the purpose of transporting livestock.”

Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chief executive Simon Westaway said the on-board conditions filmed were “plainly unacceptable” and showed that more needed to be done to reduce risks during voyages.

“The regulations provide the framework for mitigating heat stress, managing sick sheep, ensuring access to food, water and ventilation, and the maintenance of dry and appropriately stocked pens,” Mr Westaway said.

“Not only are industry, government, producers and welfare groups already revisiting that framework, we now need to reinforce the independence of the reporting processes to ensure standards are met.

“Farmers put their faith in us to sustain and grow the live sheep trade, which is worth $250 million annually, and we are determined that we will not let them down.

“Export supply chain linking Australian sheep producers and Arabian Gulf customers stretch back six decades. These long-standing partnerships must continue to modernise to remain ethically and economically viable.”