“The ships tend to load up under the cover of darkness.” DeRooy said she was not just concerned about the welfare of the animals, but also the effects exporting live animals could have on the economy. “All of our live exports are prime livestock, and that’s a real concern. We should be keeping them for ourselves.” DeRooy said during the previous protest, a group of about 20 secondary school students joined in. “It was so good to see these passionate young people, and they were so knowledgable,” she said. JOHN BISSET/Stuff The Al Kuwait livestock carrier is loaded with live cattle for China at PrimePort Timaru on April 8, 2021.