New Zealand’s Minister of Agriculture announced on Friday that the last shipment had reached its destination, and New Zealand had ended the export of live animals by sea in order to ensure the welfare of livestock.
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The government announced the ban in 2021, as previously live animals were mainly delivered to large trading partners such as China, mainly for breeding purposes, in order to increase the number of herds there. However, the farmers were given a two-year grace period to get out of this lucrative business.
Due to our geographical location, the journey to northern hemisphere markets will always be long, which inevitably presents a challenge for animal welfare.
Agriculture Secretary Damien O’Connor explained the decision.
the Reuters On the news, he noted that the export of live animals by sea accounts for about 0.32 percent of New Zealand’s primary sector export earnings since 2015, which includes agriculture and mining.
The total value of live animal exports in 2022 was NZ$524 million.
(One New Zealand dollar equals 210 HUF).
The government decided to review this type of export in 2020, when a ship bound for China sank and nearly six thousand head of cattle drowned at sea along with 41 of the 43 crew members.
