DESPITE the disruption to the Middle East trade over winter, overall livestock export activity for 2017-18 increased marginally for both cattle and sheep, the annual report for the livestock export sector’s research and development corporation shows.
Livecrop has just released its annual report, outlining its focus on technology and ongoing scientific research to continually improve animal welfare in the live trade.
The corporation has been at the frontline of work to safeguard the future of the live trade following the release earlier this year of footage showing shocking animal welfare conditions on board the Awassi Express.
Terry Enright, Mt Barker, in his first report as LiveCorp chairman, described the challenges of the past six months as “enormous and unprecedented”.
“There has been a quantum shift in the planning, preparation and oversight of sheep exports to the Middle East,” Mr Enright said in his report.
“LiveCorp has acted quickly to reassess our research portfolio and fast-track projects of relevance and initiate new streams where required, particularly those supporting improved transparency and benchmarking and improvements to the heat stress risk assessment model,” he said.
Amid speculation about the future of livestock-focused research and development corporations (RDCs) and potential mergers between the likes of Meat and Livestock Australia and the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, Mr Enright said LiveCorp had demonstrated in recent months the important and unique role it played in Australia’s livestock industry.
“Now more than ever, the availability and focus of our dedicated livestock export research program and the role of LiveCorp is proving critical,” Mr Enright said.
“This is the RDC model at work,” he said.
LiveCorp recognised the need for the industry to urgently build stronger, more transparent foundations and to unite on its longer-term reform and vision for the future, Mr Enright said.
“The industry, by a vote of Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council members, made a significant and proactive decision in 2018 to unanimously support the implementation of the Livestock Global Assurance Program (LGAP).
“LGAP is an exciting opportunity for the industry – it is at the starting line of where programs like Aus-Meat, Aus-Qual and the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme stood at their commencement.”
LiveCorp chief executive Sam Brown said LGAP would improve animal welfare, and control and traceability within the livestock export supply chain.
“It is a purpose-built program to provide animal welfare outcomes that are equivalent to, or improve upon, those provided by the Federal government’s Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System,” Mr Brown said.
“LGAP seeks to drive greater efficiencies and effectiveness in delivering its objectives by extending accountability to the facilities in the supply chain, so those that actually own the livestock share the responsibility for ensuring their welfare.
“Together with the industry, LiveCorp takes its responsibility for good animal welfare seriously.
“LGAP is an example of our commitment to work closely with exporters to improve standards, and in regaining the community’s trust through ongoing research, development and extension to improve and verify that expectations of animal welfare are being met.”
Mr Brown said the live sheep trade had been called to account for the Awassi Express footage and that the industry needed to demonstrate that it could meet community expectations regarding animal welfare.
“Reform is something the industry must get right for the sustainable future of the trade and it is something the industry and every exporter needs to own and carry forward,” he said.
“Important progress has been made across a range of new and innovative approaches to address the issue of on-board heat stress, along with new methods and technologies to monitor, record and report animal welfare measures.”
As part of this, LiveCorp has commenced its first Open Innovation project to explore new and emerging technology solutions to manage the on-board environment.
The project has identified a range of potential technology solutions including rapid cooling, dehumidification, environmental monitoring, enhanced voyage route optimisation and artificial intelligence.
“A key research priority has been the large-scale project to determine methods of measuring and recording the welfare of livestock on ships,” Mr Brown said.
“This includes the development of scientific animal welfare indicators and a fast-tracked industry welfare data collection project.”
This work will inform possible opportunities to refine the industry’s Heat Stress Risk Assessment Model, which will help determine the best way to meet the recommendations of the government’s independent review into the Conditions for the Export of Sheep to the Middle East during the Northern Summer, conducted by Dr Michael McCarthy.
“Industry has a lot of work ahead of it in order to rebuild trust and demonstrate its ability to reliably deliver good animal welfare during shipments,” Mr Brown said.
He said LiveCorp would provide the support that industry and exporters needed to achieve that outcome.
