11 May 2024
Australia to ban controversial live sheep exports by sea from May 2028
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SYDNEY, May 11 (Reuters) – Australia’s government said on Saturday it would ban live sheep exports from the country by sea from May 2028, fulfilling a pledge to end a practice long opposed by animal welfare advocates.
“We are giving certainty to sheep producers and the supply chain by legislating the date,” Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said in a statement on Saturday.
The announcement makes good a commitment from the Labour government to phase out the controversial practice, despite pushback from farm groups that say the move will put people out of work and destroy farming communities.
Watt said A$107 million over five years would be offered as a transition package to support people, including sheep farmers, affected by the industry wind-down.
“We are putting support on the table now so that people can start planning and acting now,” the agriculture minister added.
Legislation to enact the ban would be introduced in federal parliament’s current term, Watt said.
The phase out does not apply to other livestock export industries, such as live cattle exports, nor does it apply to live sheep exports by air.