NSPCA achieves temporary halt to livestock exports

The Grahamstown High Court recently approved an urgent interim interdict to temporarily ban livestock exports by sea from South Africa until at least 16 July.

The interdict was applied for by the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) and was granted against Kuwaiti company, Al Mawashi, which has been buying live sheep from the Eastern Cape for shipboard exports to the Middle East, and against other entities involved in these exports.

Since late 2019 and to date, two shipments totalling approximately 120 000 live sheep have been exported from the Eastern Cape aboard Al Mawashi’s fleet of specialised livestock transport ships. The animals were destined for the company’s feedlotting, processing and marketing operations in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The NSPCA and South Africa’s

Livestock Welfare Coordinating Committee have maintained strong opposition to these live sheep exports, citing a litany of alleged welfare abuses of the animals throughout the loading, transporting and offloading processes.

An NSPCA statement said the recent “unexpected arrival” of Al Mawashi’s Al-Messilah livestock transport vessel in East London Harbour, reportedly to load 70 000 sheep, had prompted the interim interdict application.

The statement explained that the interim interdict was ahead of the 16 July date scheduled for the Grahamstown High Court to hear the NSPCA’s application for a permanent interdict against Al Mawashi and the exports of live animals by sea from South Africa.

“Al Mawashi […] may not transport any sheep from the [Eastern Cape] feedlot, nor export any sheep from South Africa, pending the outcome of the Court hearing on 16 July 2020,” the NSPCA’s statement said.

Gerhard Schutte, CEO of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO), said that his organisation and the Red Meat Industry Forum (RMIF) were opposed to a permanent ban being placed on livestock exports by sea from South Africa.

“Livestock exports by ship should be permitted subject to certain [animal welfare] requirements being met. At this stage, there are international codes of practice in terms of what these requirements must be, and the World Organisation for Animal Health has already written such codes.”

He added that the RMIF had recently requested to become a respondent to the NSPCA’s 16 July interdict application against Al Mawashi and other role players regarding future shipboard livestock exports from South Africa. – Lloyd Phillips