Date Time Cruel bad and ugly: debunking Australia’s live export industry Frightened livestock are prodded and yelled at as they are herded up a steep loading ramp into a live export ship. A ship is a totally unnatural environment for farm animals but the stress they feel now is just the beginning. The New Zealand Government, which banned the export of live animals for slaughter in 2007, announced on 14 April 2021 that – from 2023 – the export of all live animals (including dairy cattle and livestock used for breeding) will end. But for Australian livestock, the suffering continues – and much occurs ‘out of sight’.