New Zealand To Ban Live Animal Export By Sea From 2023

14 April 2021

New Zealand’s Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor has announced that live animal exports by sea will be banned from the country from 2023.

According to a report, New Zealand’s live animal export was worth $54 million for the year ending June 2019, with most of the export being to China. About 110,000 cattle were exported from New Zealand to China in 2020, which was thrice the number from 2019. Since 2015, live export by sea constitutes 0.2% of New Zealand’s revenue from primary sector exports.

The country claims that its high animal welfare standards do not align with trading live animals by water to countries with lower standards of animal welfare.

This decision has been in the making since the Gulf Livestock 1, a ship carrying 6,000 live animals to China, sank near the coast of Japan last year. New Zealand also imposed a temporary ban on animal export after the incident. The immediate implementation of the ban may be due to the recent Suez Canal blockage, which left animals on 20 ships stranded.

New Zealand only exports animals for breeding, not for slaughter. However, animal rights groups have expressed concern over the lack of knowledge on what happens to animals after they leave the country.

The government released a report in 2019 inviting public opinion on how the ban should be implemented. The report presented four options: improving trade conditions, introducing new regulations, only allowing conditional trades, and a total ban on all live animal trade.

The government has decided to ban live trade by sea. Animal trade via air is still allowed.

"Clearly the periods are far shorter and generally they are well looked after. We have not had any indications of concerns about animal welfare for animals moved by air," O’Connor commented.

Reception by Various Groups

The ban has received pushback from the live trade industry, and O’Connor has specified that farmers and traders might be affected by this change. However, the minister mentioned that this ban would not have a consequential effect on the GDP.

"I acknowledge the economic benefit some farmers get from the trade, but I also note that support of it is not universal within the sector," O’Connor stated.

Animal rights groups such as SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation) and SPCA (Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) have celebrated this news, although there is still criticism regarding the two year transition period.

"We know that New Zealanders are appalled by live exports and we are thrilled the government have listened to the experts, scientific evidence and the general public. It's an historic moment for animal welfare in New Zealand," said Andrea Midgen, SPCA Chief Executive.

The World Animal Protection NZ executive director Simone Clarke commented:

"For more than a decade, World Animal Protection has been lobbying governments around the world to end the immoral live export trade. The New Zealand Government's announcement to phase out live exports in the coming years is a significant moment in our history for animals, one which other governments around the world must now follow, including Australia."