Sheep export alarm excessive
It has been almost a decade since any substantial number of live animals were exported from New Zealand. The export of animals for slaughter was prohibited in 2007 and though export for breeding is still allowed, the numbers in recent years have generally been small. Which may be the reason the shipment of 50,000 sheep and 3000 cattle to Mexico has attracted the ire of the animal rights group, Save Animals From Exploitation (Safe), and other activists.
Safe doubts that the animals are being sent to Mexico for breeding. It believes what it calls the ‘‘extremely large’’ size of the shipment makes that implausible. Safe believes that once they get to Mexico the animals are likely to be slaughtered in conditions that would be illegal if they were used here. In any case, it believes the animals will suffer from the two weeklong voyage itself and that ‘‘hundreds’’ will die. The Green Party, too, has weighed in with a strident condemnation of the Government about it.
These concerns are misguided and overwrought. The animals have reportedly been bought to replenish flocks and herds in Mexico that have been ravaged by the droughts that have devastated large swathes of the west coast of North and Central America. There is no reason to disbelieve this and certainly no reason to believe the animals have been bought for slaughter. For one thing, it is highly unlikely that any buyer would pay the sums required to acquire breeding stock simply to send them to slaughter.
More importantly, this export, like all exports, has gone through the Ministry of Primary Industries process for the export of live animals. That requires, among many other things, the exporter to make a sworn declaration about the proposed enduse of the animals. Anyone who knowingly provided false information would be liable to be charged with perjury.
As for the welfare of the animals while they are at sea, MPI has said that as well as the usual checks on the health of the animals before they leave New Zealand, properly certificated stockmen will accompany them and a vet will be aboard the ship.
In addition, the Animal Welfare Act nowadays requires MPI to issue an animal welfare export certificate before any animals can be shipped abroad. Before this can be granted, the ministry must be satisfied with the manner in which the exporter has previously handled animal exports, the capability, skills and experience of the exporter, the health of the animals and their susceptibility to harm and distress on the journey and a number of other matters. Given the sensitivity of animal exports, there is no doubt these matters will have been dealt with rigorously.
A couple of decades ago there were bad experiences with live animal exports, including one shipment where delays meant a ship was unable to unload its cargo on time and several thousand sheep died in punishing heat. According to a ministry official, the last export of sheep to Mexico resulted in the loss of fewer than 0.1 per cent of the cargo. That suggests live exports have improved considerably and horror stories of the past, such as the ones the Greens cling to, are no longer relevant.