Live Export Lives Again

Adrian Hatwell speaks with Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa’s Dr Helen Beattie as the spectre of the live export industry returns to haunt the nation’s politics.

 April 30, 2023 marked a big win for the animals as Aotearoa banned the live export of cattle, sheep, deer, and goats by sea. The Animal Welfare Amendment Act 2022 was a welcome example of the nation walking its talk as a world-leader in
safeguarding animal welfare.

After years of impassioned campaigning by animal rights advocates, the issue had reached a flashpoint in September 2020, when the Gulf Livestock 1 carrier sank during a typhoon, killing 41 crew members (including two Kiwi) and 5,867 animals.

The tragedy spurred the government, then led by the Labour party, to enact a ban on live export by sea, an example that would soon be followed by other nations around the globe.

Less than a year after the historic law change, however, the ban on live export is under serious threat. In the lead-up to the 2023 election, the National, ACT, and NZ First parties all campaigned with promises to resume the banished trade. The
following month, all three parties reached a coalition deal to form a new government, and an attempt to overturn the ban is now firmly on the table.

Why the Change of Heart?

Many are questioning the wisdom of restarting such a condemned trade, with New Zealand having secured a reputation as a global leader in animal welfare — much to the benefit of our large agricultural industry.

Dr Helen Beattie is managing director of Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa (VAWA), one of the groups who pushed for the end of live export. She says the decision to campaign against the ban likely comes down to “politicking for the
election”.

 “It would have won them a few votes; it’s what the farmers who are involved in the industry wanted to hear,” she explains. “But I also know from speaking to some farmers that they didn’t vote for National because of this announcement.”

While it may have been a helpful position for winning the election, Beattie says a resumption of live animal exports is a losing prospect for the country in the long run. Before the ban, the majority of New Zealand’s live export trade went to China, to bolster that nation’s dairy herd. Even disregarding China’s increasing self-sufficiency targets, shipping our genetics offshore hardly represents a solution to the problem of the 1.8 million bobby calves produced as a result of our dairy industry each year.

“It’s choosing to serve the needs of a small number of people who make money out of an industry that is otherwise nonsensical,” says Beattie. “I’m seeing a complete and utter lack of strategy around what’s good for our people, our animals, our economy, and our long term survival.”

By the Numbers

According to the Ministry for Primary Industries 134,590 animals were exported by sea in 2022, the last full year of industry operation. This represents 20 separate voyages, each between 15 and 22 days long, all to China. Over this year the Ministry recorded 64 deaths, a mortality rate of 0.05%.

In 2022, live exports represented 0.47% of all agricultural exports and contributed just 0.09% of Aotearoa’s gross domestic profit. When the ban was passed in 2023, then Agriculture Minister, Damien O’Connor, said:

“Since 2015, live exports by sea have represented only 0.2% of primary sector export revenue. Whilst we acknowledge the economic benefits for some farmers, we also have to protect the international reputation of our annual $53 billion dollar primary export industry.”

Live export might be big business for a small number of people benefiting from the industry, but its impact on the dairy sector, farming in general, and the country’s overall production is very slight. Its impact on the welfare of the animals caught up in this industry is another thing altogether.

The Real Cost

The VAWA has been very active on the live export issue in pursuit of the organisation’s vision: “A Good Life for All”. The collective is composed of animal welfare advocates, including veterinarians, allied veterinary professionals, and animal welfare scientists, among other members — a group very capable of speaking to veterinary and animal welfare science.

While Beattie herself has never been on a live export ship, her role at the VAWA has led to many full and frank conversations with veterinarians that have been on live export voyages, both from here and Australia. The evidence that has been compiled has led the organisation to a very clear position:

“My understanding of the conditions is that they are very, very challenging and unacceptably compromise welfare, and that’s why our position is to not support this as an industry.”

The vast majority of boats used in the live export industry before the ban were purpose-converted ships, rather than purpose-built. This means they were never constructed with the needs of animal welfare in mind, lacking the likes of effluent management systems, temperature and humidity controls, and adequate space.

Out at sea for two to three weeks, these conditions give rise to great suffering for the animals on board. This is why Beattie thinks the mortality numbers collected by the Ministry of Primary Industries are insufficient to tell the whole story.

“Some animals don’t cope with that and there will be some mortality, but mortality is a very poor indicator of the low welfare overall,” she explains. “Imagine being put in those conditions, it’s going to be pretty unbearable but you might not die — but the morbidity, the number of animals affected, is arguably 100 percent of the animals on the boat.”

Speaking Out

In 2021, the government solicited submissions on The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill proposing to phase out the live export by sea of cattle, deer, sheep, and goats over a 24-month period. Many groups and individuals made submissions to express their opinions.

One submission came from an experienced cattle veterinarian who had recently spent 18 months on a live export ship headed to China. The submission was made anonymously, as the veterinarian feared blowback from the industry for exposing the conditions on the ship. It was not an unfounded fear after a similar situation saw Dr Lynn Simpson, one of Australia’s most experienced and respected live export veterinarians, losing her Federal Government job after filing a report exposing the appalling conditions on Australian live export ships.

The anonymous submission details many of the same horrifying conditions occurring on the New Zealand-launched boat: heat stress from a lack of temperature and humidity control, lameness from poor pen and floor design, inadequate bedding, buildups of faeces and urine causing infections, long periods where feeding and watering were not possible, injuries when loading and unloading the animals,and insufficient paperwork to properly track animals that required treatment. Some of the photo evidence included with the submission is reprinted here. 

The voyage was also a sensory assault for the cattle. Lights were kept on 24/7 to illuminate the dark environment, as were the ventilation fans, in order to manage ammonia levels and reduce heat stress. The noise of the fans was so intense the veterinarian had to wear ear protection whenever around them — the animals were subjected to the noise day and night for three weeks without any protection.    

“Given the nature of the ship (the style of pens, the inadequate bedding, inappropriate flooring, and minimal effluent management) animal welfare could not be maintained to an acceptable standard — and could not be in the future without significant modifications,” the submission states. “I imagine in reality this would likely become non-viable in a commercial sense due to high costs.”

It’s a story Beattie has heard all too often as managing director of the VAWA.

“You don’t have to be a scientist to look at that and understand that animals are not having a good time.

“I’d love to be proved wrong. I’d love for there to be 24/7 cameras monitoring these boats. I’d love for there to be proper flooring and bedding, and it’s not dark, or hot, or humid. But all the evidence points to the fact that this is not the case.”

“Gold Standard”

Despite the evidence and expert opinion against it, live export is expected to be resumed under the coalition government. Andrew Hoggard, who resigned as president of Federated Farmers in May 2023 before being elected as an Act MP later in the year, is now associate minister for agriculture and responsible for reviving the trade.

“It is enormously disappointing to hear that the National would consider reinstating livestock exports,” says Beattie. “It’s especially disappointing given that several National Party MPs sat in on the Select Committee hearing where a harrowing description was given of animals’ experiences during livestock export.”

With a recent 1News Verian poll showing a narrow majority of the country wants the ban to stay, the government insists it will be overturned “while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare”. Given the environmental control and space requirements — as well as the unpredictable nature of sea travel — it’s a promise Beattie doesn’t think holds water.

“Those are huge challenges to overcome. And even with purpose-built boats, given the temperature and humidity and effluent alone, I personally don’t think that it can be managed.”

The industry that stands to benefit from overturning the ban, however, is quite confident this “gold standard” of animal welfare can be achieved — and is willing to spend a million dollars to prove it. Reporting on a strategy document from agriculture industry group Livestock Export New Zealand (Lenz), RNZ’s Guyon Espiner revealed a $1 million lobbying push to make sure the ban is lifted.

The document shows the well-resourced group has earmarked $366,000 for a “trust and understanding” campaign, almost $200,000 to create the so-called “gold standard” animal welfare requirements, and $160,000 for “political lobbying and legal fees”.

“It’s interesting they need a million dollars to tell their story,” says Beattie.

“It’s a David versus Goliath thing, this is what you find as an advocate. We are a small not-for-profit organisation, the vast majority of the work we do is for free. So if people are passionate about this they need to step up and help our organisations out, because that is a lot of money to put into a campaign.”

Have Your Say

With vested interests putting a huge amount of resources into winding back the ban, Beattie says it’s up to everyday people to express their feelings on the issue.  

“We’ve got to signal to the government that there is going to be public outrage about this. It’s such a regressive, backward move. 

“We talk about being world-leading in animal welfare. Brazil came in and banned it right after we did, the UK is just about to do their second reading for their live exports ban, Australia is working to ban sheep exports, and here we are thinking we’re going to reinstate the trade. It’s nonsensical.”

There are a number of organisations working to protect the ban on live exports.

Taranaki Animal Save, who supplied many of the photos in this article, is part of the grassroots collective End Live Export NZ. These groups are holding monthly days of action, which began on 25 February, to protest any resumption of live export. Visit www.facebook.com/EndLiveExportNZ to find actions happening around the country.

Animal rights organisation Save Animals From Exploitation (Safe) has developed a template email that can be sent to National, ACT, and NZ First, expressing support for keeping the ban. You can find it at www.safe.org.nz/take-action.

Beattie’s group, Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa, will also continue advocating for animals and doing important work around live export. Visit www.vawa.co.nz to keep up with new initiatives, become a member, or make a donation.  

Aotearoa Vegan and Plant Based Living Magazine
This article was sourced from the Autumn  2024 edition of The Vegan Society magazine.
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