Comparison of world livestock export standards
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1 Understanding livestock transportation
1.1 Economic drivers of livestock transportation
Proponents of freer trade are often heard to say ‘trade is better than aid’. By this they mean that the economies of third world countries will benefit more from being allowed to exchange goods and
services across borders than they will if given handouts by richer nations. World forums continue to emphasise the importance of trade between diverse nations and it appears the political will to
expedite the associated processes is gathering pace. However, there is a vast gulf between the high ideals of freer world trade and the practical realities of exchange between any two countries.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the case of livestock trading among nations. Many of the world’s poorest nations are heavily dependent on livestock for subsistence and
generation of foreign exchange. Short of developing a meat-processing sector, it must be presumed that these countries will only expand their participation in trade through livestock exporting. To the
extent that animal welfare is related to affluence, the welfare of animals in third world countries will be assisted most by putting in place measures such as conditions of trade that lift the living
standards of people in these countries. Elsewhere, education programs will lift welfare standards. Despite livestock exporting being challenged on many fronts, it will be assisted by upward
harmonisation of the outcomes applying to animal health and welfare. In Figure 1, welfare is shown as sub-set of animal health.
Country’s Standards
Figure 1: Linkages between freer trade, livestock movements and protocols
Trade Among Nations
Livestock movements across
national borders
Animal Health
Animal Welfare
Creation of Wealth and
Improvement in Living Standards
Superior animal
welfare outcomes
Comparison of world livestock export standards
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Australia is a ‘first world’ country and the largest livestock-exporting nation
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. But many of the countries exporting and importing livestock are third world countries with vastly differing attitudes
toward animal welfare and with differing capacities to implement systems that might safeguard animal health and welfare during transportation. However, transportation distances are often
relatively minor and may require only hours or a few days to complete – rather than weeks. While it is not presumed that all countries need or want the same set of standards for exporting
livestock, it will be in the interests all nations participating in livestock transportation to work toward implementation of standards designed to deliver acceptable animal health and welfare outcomes.
This review will assist the quest for more effective standards worldwide by identifying and comparing livestock exporting standards between nations.
1.2 The special challenges that confront livestock exporting