Livestock sea export industry to be closed

The Government has announced all livestock exports by sea will be banned by 2023.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor made the announcement yesterday. The industry, which has accounted for 0.2 per cent of primary sector export revenue since 2015, will be wound down over the next two years.

While the Government acknowledged the positive side of the economic ledger, O’Connor said needing to ‘‘stay ahead of the curve in a world where animal welfare is under increasing scrutiny’’ was a key consideration.

In 2019, the trade was worth $77 million. Since 2015, an average of 60,000 cattle have been exported each year, with 113,000 exported in 2020.

The Clark Labour Government banned sea exports of sheep in 2003 and livestock have not been exported for slaughter since 2008.

O’Connor said that although improvements had been made to animal welfare measures over the past few years, the voyage time to the northern hemisphere would always pose challenges to animal welfare.

Livestock freight by air – which is limited – will continue.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) had previously placed a temporary ban on livestock exports which was lifted in

October 2020. When the trade restarted, new and more rigorous animal welfare and reporting requirements were introduced.

That came as a result of a review by Michael Heron QC and Rear Admiral Tony Parr into the trade after the sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1 cattle export ship, which carried more than 40 crew and thousands of cows. ‘‘I have asked MPI to provide further advice on improvements to animal welfare during the phaseout,’’ O’Connor said.

While the overall agriculture sector is split on the issue, the export industry is unhappy. The Animal Genetics Trade Association said the live cattle export industry said the ban would financially devastate many farmers and require the premature slaughter of thousands of livestock. ‘‘This is an ill-informed, massively consequential decision for the nation, to earn short-term political brownie points from a few activists,’’ spokesman for the association, Dave Hayman said.

‘‘This is an immoral ban against a trade being conducted humanely, with world leading standards. There is no morality in removing half a billion dollars from our economy and forcing the early deaths of up to 150,000 animals a year,’’ he said.