The New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture announced on Wednesday (14) that, in consideration of animal welfare, the government has decided to ban the export of live cattle and other live livestock to foreign countries by sea, including ships, but does not affect live animals transported by air, such as racehorses, and is expected to take two years to fully implement the transition period so that business operators in related industries have the opportunity to transition.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said the government is concerned about the risks of live livestock exports and wants to be the most ethical food producer, which outweighs any economic gains for the country’s reputation. China is a major buyer of live livestock from New Zealand, he said, noting that the Chinese side had been notified of the decision but had not responded. He stressed that the measures have nothing to do with China, but are only about animal welfare, and believes the other side understands New Zealand’s position and is not worried about offending the Chinese side.
Agricultural exports are New Zealand’s largest source of overseas revenue, and live livestock exports account for only a small portion of total agricultural exports, with revenues of NZ$261 million (about HK$1.42 billion) last year, a three-fold increase over the previous year. Some New Zealand opposition lawmakers say the ban is costly and will hit farmers’ livelihoods hard. Animal protection group SAFE, on the other hand, welcomed the ban.
In September last year, a registered cargo ship carrying 43 crew members and 5,800 live cattle sank after a typhoon Maysak during its journey from New Zealand to Hebei, China, killing more than 40 crew members and sparing none of the live cattle on board. The New Zealand government immediately suspended the approval of live cattle export applications.
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