NEW ZEALAND will cease the export of livestock by sea following a transition period of up to two years, said Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor, Reuters reports.
The news comes after animal rights activists protested the live export of 8,861 head bound for China aboard the 189.5-metre cattle boat Al Kuwait from the Port of Timaru.
Said one of the protest organisers: 'We know that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed concern about the practice, and now she has an outright majority in parliament, she has the ability to do something.
'We can control the export of animals, and this is what we should do. We were once world leaders in animal welfare, and our reputation hinges on something like this,' she said.
It was the second such protest to be held in Timaru in the space of a week, reports Stuff, formerly Wellington's Fairfax Media.
Said the minister Mr O'Connor: 'We have not been able to guarantee the safety of these animals at sea and that's an unacceptable risk for New Zealand.'
The value of New Zealand's livestock exports has averaged around NZ$60 million (US$42.32 million) per year from 2015 to 2019. The value of livestock exports increased dramatically after the 2019 announcement of the review to NZ$261 million for the year ending December 2020. New Zealand exported 113,285 cattle by sea last year.
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The news comes after animal rights activists protested the live export of 8,861 head bound for China aboard the 189.5-metre cattle boat Al Kuwait from the Port of Timaru.
Said one of the protest organisers: 'We know that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed concern about the practice, and now she has an outright majority in parliament, she has the ability to do something.
'We can control the export of animals, and this is what we should do. We were once world leaders in animal welfare, and our reputation hinges on something like this,' she said.
It was the second such protest to be held in Timaru in the space of a week, reports Stuff, formerly Wellington's Fairfax Media.
Said the minister Mr O'Connor: 'We have not been able to guarantee the safety of these animals at sea and that's an unacceptable risk for New Zealand.'
The value of New Zealand's livestock exports has averaged around NZ$60 million (US$42.32 million) per year from 2015 to 2019. The value of livestock exports increased dramatically after the 2019 announcement of the review to NZ$261 million for the year ending December 2020. New Zealand exported 113,285 cattle by sea last year.
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