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Exporting livestock via sea and air freight has been a staple of the Australian economy for nearly 200 years. The Albanese Government has announced the phase out of live sheep exports by sea on 1 May, 2028.
In January 2021, the industry’s contribution to Australia’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded $1.8 billion, making it a significant player in the country’s economy. With approximately 13,000 individuals employed in both urban and rural areas across Australia, the live animal export sector plays a crucial role in providing employment opportunities for a diverse range of people, including indigenous communities in northern Australia.
Over the past two decades, there has been increasing scrutiny and criticism of the live animal export industry, particularly regarding animal welfare practices. As awareness of animal welfare issues has grown within the Australian community, concerns have been raised about the conditions on live export vessels.
These concerns are valid and require careful consideration and responses from industry stakeholders, policymakers, and the community at large.
While there has been legislation passed banning live sheep exports via sea, we hope to change this policy and further demonstrate the importance of live cattle exports to the Australian economy. It is important to recognize that a cessation of both the cattle and sheep trade will have significant economic implications.
Instead of advocating for a total ban, a collaborative approach involving industry, government, animal welfare organisations, and the community can lead to reforms that improve animal welfare standards while still allowing the industry to thrive.
By working together to find practical solutions, we can ensure that the live animal export industry in Australia continues to contribute to the economy while upholding high standards of animal welfare.
Live animal export involves sending sheep, cattle, goats, llamas, and other livestock from Australia to countries across the globe from South East Asia to the Middle East for both food consumption and breeding purposes. Australia is seen as a genetic supermarket with high quality disease free livestock. Our importing partners prefer live animals for consumption for a variety of reasons including cultural and religious preferences. Some places also lack the local supply chain assurance systems to handle frozen meat and some countries are trying to improve their own food security position by buying breeding Animals.
Live animal exports in Australia date back to 1829. The burgeoning nation opened Australian cattle stations in the Northern Territory and Kimberley in the following decades, quickly becoming the global epicentre for live export of animals. Today, Australia remains one of the largest players in the export trade, shipping nearly three million animals per year across the land, air, and sea.
Many people point to the live export mortality rates as a negative fact of the industry. We at The Livestock Collective understand this concern and are here to communicate the number of changes that the industry has made to improve the trade. Animals such as cattle and sheep have lower rates of death than they did five years ago, while buffalo have fewer than 50 fatalities per year.
Here are some of the reasons why we believe that live export should stay and grow.
The livelihoods of numerous individuals depend on the live export industry as a means of earning income. This includes a wide range of Australians residing in both rural and urban areas, as well as indigenous communities. The prohibition of live sheep export by sea has had a detrimental impact on the financial stability of many, potentially leading to the complete destruction of their means of living. The repercussions of industry bans have been previously experienced, notably following the cessation of the cattle trade in 2011.
The cattle live export industry faced a prolonged period of recovery and is currently engaged in legal proceedings with the Government, contesting the legality of the abrupt ban as ruled by the court. Banning sheep live export will also cause negative side effects. The announcement of the ban and the subsequent law banning sheep live export in parliament is predicted to have the following impacts.
Impact on Flock Numbers
WA’s ewe flock is set to decrease by 27%, from 9.07 million to 6.63million in the next year. The whether flock is set to decrease by 49%, from 1.54 million to 787,388 by 2025.
Other impacts of the ban include:
Each country has its own reasons for preferring live animals over boxed meat. Some places have religious or cultural reasons, while others lack infrastructure for fresh or frozen storage. Transporting live animals from Australia to the importing countries meets their demand and ensures food security through affordable and fresh meat as well as opportunities to sustain local breeding stock.
Food security concerns impact hundreds of millions of people globally. A country like Indonesia has 267 million people with a majority Muslim population. This religious doctrine requires specific preparation rituals for meat so that it will comply with halal standards. Halal preferences in many countries require animals to be processed in their country, as opposed to having meat processed in Australia.
Indonesians also value freshness in their dishes. Visit a wet market in Jakarta, and you’ll find meat on display that’s still warm to the touch. The unparalleled freshness ensures quality and calibre that would be impossible if exporters were to process livestock in Australia before shipping the meat to Indonesia.
Indonesia has a wet market system because most people do not have access to refrigerators and the preference is for fresh products to ensure food safety. According to the CIA World Factbook, nearly 50 million Indonesians don’t even have power. Buying boxed fresh meat would be illogical.
People around the world will continue to have demand for protein and hence a need for live animals, regardless of whether or not Australia provides them. For many people in other countries, it isn’t feasible to eat red meat any other way. Banning the practice would only negatively impact the rural communities, Australian economy and billions of dollars in financial loss and loss of valuable trade relationships.
If Australia doesn’t meet the demand for livestock , someone else will. The most likely candidates to replace the cattle supply would include Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay. Other nations like Somalia, Sudan, Romania and recently South Africa are leading candidates to step up and fill the supply of sheep.
Australia has committed to high ethical standards for more than 30 years, a bar that would fall if other nations were to take over as the leading suppliers. Australia has been able to enforce these high standards of animal welfare due to demand for our healthy livestock which is highly valued. Look no further than Australia’s use of ASEL 3.0 and the implementation of ESCAS. The regulatory systems Australia has in place are being looked at and used by other countries exporting livestock.
Livestock export creates thousands of jobs in Australia and many more within the importing countries.
With less sheep on farms this will impact the rural communities that support the sheep industry. There will be less money spent in town in local shops and services such as the local mechanic The impact will be felt with shearers and livestock carriers (truck drivers) initially with flow on effects to their families. Resulting in many families leaving country towns to find work in already overcrowded cities. This will impact numbers and funding for schools and local sporting clubs.
While the following job roles don’t work directly in the industry, they experience its multiplier effect. The phenomenon states that making a change in one place can cause significant changes elsewhere in the supply chain.
All depend, in part, on the live export industry for income.
Banning sheep live export in Australia is hindering the livelihoods for tens of thousands of people – outside the industry.
The Livestock Collective was developed to provide some clarity about the live sheep trade on behalf of farmers, livestock agents, shearers, feed suppliers, livestock transporter, stockpeople, veterinarians, exporters, importers and everyone in between. We hope this helps provide you with some valuable information and why the health and welfare of our sheep is so important to u
Our commitment to a safe and sustainable trade has made us the gold standard in the industry. The industry has been continually updating and improving and we at The Livestock Collective aim to communicate these changes to the Australian public.
