Gove has ‘an open mind’ over live animal exports

A spat over a possible ban of live exports of farm animals – which saw rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing forcibly stating at the weekend that Scotland would not be party to such a move – has added to growing tensions between the UK and Scottish agriculture ministers.

And following the broadside launched by Ewing against what he termed the UK government’s plans to ban all live exports of stock, his Westminster counterpart Michael Gove yesterday said that he was still keeping his options open.

While the UK Environment Secretary had previously indicated that he was attracted to the idea of a ban – and spoke in support of restrictions at last year’s Conservative party conference – the official line from the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) yesterday was that they were considering all the options – and would set out their proposals for live exports “in due course”.

“We have a clear manifesto commitment to take early steps to control the export of live farm animals for slaughter as we leave the EU and are considering all options,” said a Defra spokesperson but she made it plain that animal movements between the islands and the Scottish mainland “were not exports to other countries”.

While it was widely expected that any ban on the transport of animals for slaughter would not extend to the movement of high-value pedigree stock, enquiries to this end to Defra remained unanswered yesterday.

But with the Stirling bull sales in full swing, the importance of international trade in top quality pedigree animals to the Scottish livestock sector was emphasised by both producers and breed societies.

The newly appointed chief executive of the Aberdeen Angus Society, Barrie Turner, said that it was extremely important that the top-quality genetics could continue to be traded around the world.

“I can assure the general public that the facilities enjoyed by some of these pedigree animals would put many airports and ferries to shame,” he said.

But he added that with more than sufficient uncertainties, including the great unknown of Brexit, already looming, the sector didn’t need any more hurdles put in its path.

With a long history of exporting bloodstock – which in the breed’s heyday in the sixties saw animals regularly exported to Canada, Argentina and Australia, Aberdeen Angus Society president Angela Macgregor said that, between the bull sales and private trade, several hundred pedigree Aberdeen Angus were exported every year to countries such as Germany, Estonia, France and Spain.

However an animal protection group has called on Ewing to reconsider his position on live animal exports after Brexit.

Onekind director Harry Huyton said that the cabinet secretary’s comments were “unsubstantiated and out of touch with the Scottish public”.

“A ban on the export of live animals outside of the UK would have no impact whatsoever on the ability of farmers on the islands to sell their livestock within the UK, nor would it prevent businesses selling meat products outside of the UK,” he said.

“The damage this would do to Scotland’s reputation is immeasurable.”