DUBAI, Sept 20: The United Arab Emirates rejected as “tainted” a shipload of 57,000 live sheep from Australia following the example of Saudi Arabia, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The vessel had docked at the emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain, but the ministry of agriculture and fisheries refused to allow it to unload, a senior official from the ministry told the Gulf News.

The sheep had now left UAE waters “on their way to an unknown destination in the Middle East,” the official said.

In Islamabad, acting Australian ambassador Brett Hackett said Canberra had offered Pakistan the sheep “free of charge”.

Pakistan is also unlikely to accept Australia’s free offer, a government official in Karachi said on Friday.—AFP