New Zealand government to make final decision on livestock exports

A final decision on livestock exports will be announced by the New Zealand government in the next couple of months, Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor was quoted as saying by Radio New Zealand. Verification of the process began in June 2019, but a tragic accident has since occurred last September when Gulf Livestock 1 sank with 43 crew members, including two New Zealanders, and almost 6,000 HEAD of cattle on board.

The incident forced the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) to suspend livestock exports for a month. Over the past 6 months, officials have taken into account long-term changes proposed by reviewers, such as the need for more information in applications for EXPORT animal welfare certificates. However, this does not satisfy animal welfare group SAFE, which wants a complete ban on the export of livestock from New Zealand, given that the animals end up in poorer welfare conditions compared to New Zealand standards.

SAFE campaign manager Bianca Atlas says the government has been encouraging livestock exports throughout 2020. Nearly 110,000 cows were exported to CHINA last year, up from 39,000 in 2019 and 14,000 in 2018, according to MPI . The export of live sheep for slaughter from New Zealand has been banned since 2003.