Guest guest Posted May 7, 2003 Report Share Posted May 7, 2003 ------ Forwarded Message Wed, 07 May 2003 07:02:30 -0000 [animal_net] Austrialian animals dragged to the Middle East - trade to resume Live Animal Trade Ban Lifted Australian winter sheep and cattle trade with Middle East to resume. A ban on exports of live sheep and cattle from Australia to the Middle East during the northern summer has been lifted for the winter, the Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Warren Truss, announced. The ban was put in place last winter following unacceptably high mortality rates on a number of shipments of live sheep and cattle from Australia to markets in the Middle East. " The livestock export industry is an important regional employer and a major export earner worth around $920 million a year. But the Government needed to act to ensure that its animal welfare record was sufficiently strong to protect the reputation and trading access of Australian agriculture, " Mr Truss said. The main causes of the animal deaths were found to be heat stress in cattle and sheep, and salmonellosis in sheep. " Last October, I announced a joint industry/government Action Plan to undertake detailed research into the causes and effects of feedlot salmonellosis and heat stress, " Mr Truss said. " As a result of this initiative, Australian exporters will now be able to make use of predictive modelling for heat stress to help select and prepare livestock bound for the Middle East. " Stringent new criteria have been introduced for export premises in order to reduce the potential for feedlot salmonellosis. These premises will need to ensure that they not only have the appropriate facilities and infrastructure, but also the management practices that take greater account of welfare concerns. " Mr Truss said the Government and industry were working closely with exporters to introduce the new arrangements, which came into force from 1 May. " Exporters will need to submit a consignment management plan to the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) detailing how they have prepared livestock to minimise the risk of heat stress and salmonellosis, " he said. " Each shipment will be monitored closely to further improve the predictive modelling. " In a move to safeguard the future of the trade, the Livestock Export Industry Consultative Committee, which oversees the Action Plan, is planning to undertake new research into a range of other risks across the export chain. (MeatNews May 6, 2003) ------ End of Forwarded Message Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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