THE Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) has come under fire from the live export industry after it extended the prohibition on live sheep exports to, or through, the Middle East to September 22, 2019.
DAWR said it considered "the best available science and evidence, and feedback from public consultation before making this decision - the interests of the industry, animal welfare and government policy were also taken into account".
However exporters expressed that in its consultation "options paper" DAWR failed to take into account recent voyages which reported more than a 99 per cent success rate from November last year to May 31, 2019.
"Evidence indicates the risk of heat stress for voyages departing Australia in the first three weeks of September is comparable to, or higher than in June," DAWR said.
"The department determined conditions in June (along with July and August) are too hot for sheep exports.
"The industry came to a similar conclusion.
"Furthermore, sheep departing Australia in early to mid-September are acclimatised to cooler Australian temperatures and therefore less heat tolerant than sheep departing in Australian summer or autumn months.
"For October, the risk of an animal welfare incident related to heat stress is more aligned with conditions in May."
DAWR said once trade resumes, shipments to, or through, the Middle East "must comply with the same conditions that applied in May 2019".
"These requirements include verification of the ship's pen air turnover, a heat stress management plan, stocking sheep in accordance with an allometric formula or the heat stress assessment model - depending on which provides more space per animal, collecting automated environmental data (wet bulb temperatures) and reporting to the department," DAWR said.
It said the decision only related to 2019 and future regulation of live sheep exports to, or through, the Middle East would be decided following a Regulation Impact Statement process.
The Australian Livestock Exporters' Council (ALEC) said the decision was disappointing because animal welfare was the key priority for the livestock export industry.
"ALEC member exporters go to great lengths in their voyage preparation to ensure that animal welfare is of the highest standard," ALEC said.
"It is disappointing that DAWR has chosen to extend the prohibition on sheep exports to the Middle East for most of September, beyond the Northern Hemisphere summer.
"The sheep exports to the Middle East undertaken in May of this year achieved excellent animal welfare outcomes and record low mortalities using the new reduced stocking densities.
"Similar animal welfare outcomes were expected for September shipments."
ALEC said the Bureau of Meteorology data provided originally by the department showed a clear difference in climatic conditions during September between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, but the department advised their decision was based on updated data not widely provided to the industry.
"The data originally provided by the department supported ALEC's proposal for recommencement of sheep exports to the Red Sea from September 1, and revision of the industry-led moratorium to prohibit the departure of vessels exporting sheep to Persian Gulf destinations until September 15, 2019," ALEC said.
"In making these recommendations, ALEC proposed additional conditions for the sheep being exported from Australia in September 2019, to ensure appropriate animal-welfare outcomes are achieved.
"Exporters remain optimistic that data collected from vessels after recommencement this year, that will be provided to the department, will enable resumption of sheep exports to the Middle East following completion of industry's self-imposed moratorium at the end of August from 2020 onwards.
"Instability in supply risks can further damage Australia's reputation as a reliable provider of livestock to our international customers.
"ALEC remains committed to ensuring that science and evidence dictates the departments future regulatory decisions regarding sheep exports to the Middle East," ALEC chief executive Mark Harvey-Sutton said.
Rural Export and Trading WA (RETWA), as the largest sheep exporter in Australia, said it was "extremely disappointed in the recent DAWR decision to extend the moratorium of sheep exports from Australia until September 22".
RETWA managing director Mike Gordon said the company "fully supported the industry lead moratorium for June, July and August and the science behind this decision to ensure a sustainable trade".
"The recent decision to extend this moratorium is extremely disappointing as the company's business planning, vessel bookings and marketing contracts have long been established on the basis of the markets receiving animals in September.
"At this late stage to invoke further restrictions is unacceptable for our business.
"The moratorium was originally voluntary and an industry-led initiative that the regulator has chosen to formalise.
"We welcomed the three months moratorium with the expectation there would be stability for the remaining nine months.
"Clearly we need to balance the commercial realities of running a business, but at the end of the day if we don't have good animal welfare standards then in my view we don't have a sustainable business."
Mr Gordon said importers from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar were also "frustrated and disappointed with this decision and were actively concentrating on sourcing livestock from other countries to have security in supply".
A shipment of sheep from Romania recently arrived in the Gulf region.
"Our vessels have successfully exported during the September period for many years," Mr Gordon said.
"Shipments in September would have provided the opportunity for researchers and independent observers to continue to play a vital role in monitoring animal welfare conditions onboard vessels, including issues arising from environmental heat.
"Not affording this opportunity is short sighted of the regulator as it could have served to further advance the sustainability of live sheep exports, which is an important trade for both our trading partners' food security and for rural and regional Australian sheep producers."
Since RETWA was granted an export licence late in 2018, the company exported over 714,000 sheep to the Middle Eastern countries of Kuwait, Qatar and UAE, delivered over 11 consignments with success rates ranging from 99.54pc - 99.89pc.
May shipments under new allometric stocking densities discharged with success rates of 99.83pc and 99.89pc.
"This is a significant improvement to previous industry averages," Gordon said.
"We are not only basing success on mortality but we continue to work with industry on research into the best animal welfare and wellbeing measures to verify good welfare outcomes on voyages.
"The outcomes of our voyages are testament to the incremental improvement in the industry and I trust the outcomes and success of these recent voyages will be considered when making further long term decisions."
"We welcome the independent inspector general role and hope this leads to sensible long term regulation of our trade.
"We urge the new minister to ensure that there is certainty in this industry.
"Our importers are already investing in other countries to ensure food demands and food security is met.
"Our Kuwait investors have partnered with Australia for over 40 years and value the quality and quantity of livestock Australia can supply."
Wellard executive chairman John Klepec said DAWR's decision was "flawed".
"It ignores recent performance data and instead uses selective data points to reverse engineer the department's predetermined outcome to appease the vocal minority who are hellbent on regulating the industry out of existence to the detriment of sheep farmers, our long-term trading partners and global animal welfare outcomes which are worse off if Australian exports are stopped," Mr Klepec said.
"This decision also appears to utilise 28 Celsius Wet Bulb Temperature as the heat stress threshold - which is a flawed baseline based on eight sheep in a controlled PhD thesis experiment not millions of sheep shipped over decades - to prevent the trade from re-opening.
"Recent changes made to stocking densities coupled with using the right ships have proven that animal welfare can be maintained in the Middle Eastern summer shoulder months, yet this exceptional performance has been ignored and risks killing-off the trade completely.
"The live export industry has undergone significant regulatory change. It's time to assess the impact of those changes before imposing even more trade restrictions based on minority beliefs not the reality."
The RSPCA had a different view of DAWR's decision saying with September being "historically one of the hottest and most dangerous months for sheep to be exported to the Middle East, this is an important step forward in protecting the welfare of Australian animals".
"However, the RSPCA still holds high concerns for the continuation of October trading," said RSPCA senior policy officer Dr Jed Goodfellow.
"This is an important step forward by the regulator, in acknowledging the scientific evidence that sheep are at high risk of heat stress during September journeys to the Middle East.
"In fact, exports to the Middle East during September and October are arguably more dangerous than those occurring at the start of the northern summer period, as Australian sheep are more acclimatised to cooler temperatures, having just experienced four months of cold and cool conditions.
"The science has shown that live sheep exported into the northern summer, at any time during the hottest period from May to October, are at very high risk of suffering from heat stress, which can be fatal.
"This week's decision is another step towards ensuring that Australian sheep are protected from searing conditions on board these ships."
