New Zealand is the first country to introduce a ban on live animal exports
Environment — di Valentina Neri
Live animal exports from New Zealand are over: the last ship loaded with cattle bound for China has departed, and there will be no more.
New Zealand is the first country to introduce a ban on live animal exports
Live animal exports from New Zealand are over: the last ship loaded with cattle bound for China has departed, and there will be no more.
- From 30 April, the export of live animals from New Zealand is banned.
- The decision is also the result of a very serious accident that occurred in 2020.
On 20 April, shortly before 6 in the morning (local time), the vessel Dareen set sail from the New Zealand port of Timaru with just over six thousand live cattle on board. It is bound for Huanghua, in China, where it will arrive around 9 May. It was the last one. From 30 April, a ban on live animal exports comes into force. New Zealand is the first nation in the world to introduce such a measure, as a form of protection for animal welfare.
How New Zealand's live animal export ban works
The NGO Animals Australia reports that as early as 2008 the New Zealand government had introduced an initial ban on the shipment of animals for slaughter, but shipments of pregnant dairy cows remained permitted. In 2021 it therefore announced the definitive ban on live animal exports, while giving industry operators two years to comply.
The Reuters news agency reports that in 2022 the sector's turnover was just under 300 million euros. When measured against the value of primary sector exports, which also include mining and agriculture, live animals represent a small percentage: just 0.32 per cent.
HUGE NEWS! New Zealand's live export ban is now in effect! 🙌
As of this week, the phase-out period is over, and no more live export sailings can take place. This is a historic moment for animals and one we need to replicate around the world.
#BanLiveExports @SAFEnewzealand
As of this week, the phase-out period is over, and no more live export sailings can take place. This is a historic moment for animals and one we need to replicate around the world.
#BanLiveExports @SAFEnewzealand
Why live animal transport is dangerous
Animal welfare organisations had long been drawing attention to the conditions of deprivation and suffering in which live animals were forced to travel for days, if not weeks. What shook consciences, however, was one particular episode. In September 2020, a cargo ship carrying around six thousand cattle and 43 crew members, bound for the Chinese port of Jingtang, found itself off the coast of Japan in prohibitive weather conditions due to the passage of Typhoon Maysak. It lost power and sank. Only two crew members survived.
The episode attracted widespread international attention and convinced the government first to suspend, and then to definitively ban, live animal exports. "Our position on the map means that the journey to the northern hemisphere is inevitably long and therefore poses unacceptable risks to animal welfare," declared Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor. Animal welfare organisations have welcomed the move, urging other countries to "prioritise animal welfare over commercial interests."