Two years ago, New Zealand decided to stop after an export ship capsized in the East China Sea, drowning 41 crew members and 6,000 cattle.
A Brazilian judge last week ruled that live cattle may no longer be shipped overseas from that country either. In the European Union, there is discussion about this as part of a new animal welfare law, but nothing has been decided yet.
After an evaluation of the live animal export sector, New Zealand decided to halt the export of live animals by sea. Since 2015, that export accounted for only 0.32 percent of the primary sector's export revenue. Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, said the two-year transition period gave the affected farmers time to switch to other business models.
“We are aligned with our like-minded partners. Australia has proceeded with the gradual abolition of live sheep exports, and animal welfare is embedded in our free trade agreements with the UK and the EU,” said O’Connor.
Following New Zealand's lead, a Brazilian federal judge last week ordered the cessation of live animal shipments from all Brazilian ports. The judge issued this ruling in a case pending since 2017.
Surprised by the decision, Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said that appealing seems practically inevitable, since Brazil is the world leader in live animal exports. However, Brazil is also the world leader in the export of frozen beef carcasses. Overall, Brazil accounts for nearly a quarter of all global beef exports.