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1 Background
1.1 Background to the Australian Livestock Export Trade
Contrary to popular belief, Australia has a long history of exporting livestock, going back to the 1840s with the remount horse trade to India Parsonson 1998. From about 1876, and for the next
two decades, considerable numbers of cattle from Central Queensland were shipped to New Caledonia and other Pacific Island destinations McDonald 1988, while from the 1890s cattle were
shipped from northern ports to a number of SE Asian destinations Buchanan 1933, Durack 1983. Sheep exports also date back as far as the 1890s when trade with New Zealand and South
American countries was first established Parsonson 1998. However it is only in the past 10-15 years that the livestock export trade has expanded to its present levels.
Australia currently leads the world as the largest exporter of livestock, but this position is under challenge, particularly in the cattle sector, with emerging competitors such as Brazil and, to a lesser
extent, India. Live exports of cattle, sheep and goats make significant contributions to the productivity of the Australian livestock industries. In 2003-2004, estimated values of these exports
were 840M Australian Bureau of Statistics ABS 2004. Livestock are exported to over 40 countries world wide, and while markets are in a state of moderate flux at the moment, live exports
remain an important component of several sectors of the Australian livestock industry. The live export trade has also provided Australian livestock producers with increased market options
and a demand for certain classes of livestock that does not exist in the domestic market. For example, cattle producers in NW Western Australia, the Northern Territory and, to a lesser extent
northern Queensland, have benefited greatly from the trade in feeder steers and slaughter cattle, including entire males, to SE Asian, Middle Eastern and other markets Hughes 2000. There is also
general consensus that these exports have put a floor in the market that has increased the profitability of the northern industry. Were this trade not to exist, then outlets for many of these cattle
would be restricted and freight costs for shipments to either Queensland or southern Western Australian destinations would impact on industry profitability Heatley 2000.
Australia is the largest goat exporter in the world, a high proportion of goats being feral or semi-feral animals originating mainly in the pastoral areas of Western Australia, Queensland and western New
South Wales. No significant domestic market exists for such animals, and export markets for goats have assisted the economic situation of many pastoral producers in these regions. However trade in
such animals is raising concern because of welfare and mortality issues, and the long-term continuation of the trade in feral and semi-feral goats will depend on a satisfactory resolution of
these issues. Despite considerable improvements, the livestock export industry continues to be challenged by
opponents of the trade in respect of on-board death rates, on general animal welfare issues and on economic grounds, all of which have the potential to lead to increased efforts to ban the trade. While
over the past few years there has been a consistent reduction in shipboard mortality rates for all species, welfare issues continue to be raised, and considerable research on a range of these
matters is now being undertaken.
This criticism of the trade has been particularly marked when major disasters due to ship breakdowns or adverse climatic conditions have occurred. This led to a review in 2004 of all aspects
of the livestock export industry Keniry Review, the development of new standards for the trade
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DAFF 2005, with a greater degree of government intervention than existed previously, all designed to enhance the welfare of exported livestock.
1.2 Time trends and extent of the trade
Kategori