Document type : Article published in Fleischwirtschaft.de
Preview: After a transition period of two years, New Zealand will completely ban live exports of farm animals by ship from 2023. "At the heart of our decision is maintaining New Zealand's reputation as a nation for high animal welfare standards. We need to stay ahead of the curve in a world where animal welfare is increasingly under the microscope," Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said in Wellington.
Following the sinking of the livestock ship Gulf Livestock 1 on its way to China in September 2020, which killed around 5,800 cows and 41 crew members, a review of live exports was launched and is now set to be phased out. This will affect exports of breeding and productive cows, which are primarily shipped to China. Live exports of sheep, goats and cattle for slaughter are already banned. O'Connor stressed that improvements in animal welfare have been achieved in recent years in sea transport, but the long travel times and lack of animal welfare checks in the destination country remain a problem.
But live exports accounted for only 0.2% of New Zealand's agricultural export revenue.
