Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – Government s ban on live animal exports
17 Apr, 2021 02:50 AM
11 minutes to read
The Government has confirmed plans to ban live animal exports from 2023 – a move that has already drawn criticism from some in the industry.
The Government has confirmed plans to ban live animal exports from 2023 – a move that has already drawn criticism from some in the industry.
ANALYSIS:
The Labour Government received plaudits this week for its historic announcement it will ban the live export of animals by sea. It s said to be a world first.
The decision comes after years of pressure, which increased after last year s tragedy when the ship Gulf Livestock 1 left New Zealand and sunk in a storm, killing nearly 6000 cows and 41 sea crew. Of course, there has also been opposition to the ban, and important questions raised over some of the details.
The industry is still absorbing the blow, Hayman told Magic Talk s Rural Today on Thursday. But at this point we plan to use the two years to keep pointing out the valuable role that the industry plays, both in terms of the economics and the leading role that we have in livestock breeding and agritech.
He said there was no justification for the ban on animal welfare grounds as we are world-class in terms of how we export animals and we re very conscious of animal welfare .
The decision would also force the premature deaths of as many as 150,000 animals a year and remove half a billion dollars from the economy, he said.
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