Labor has agreed to support a Private Members Bill which moves to phase out the live sheep trade over five years.
Sussan Ley’s Live Sheep Long Haul Export Prohibition Bill 2018 was introduced into parliament on Monday that seeks to ban live sheep exports to the Middle East during the northern hemisphere summer months from 2019 and phase out live-export trade of sheep to the Middle East entirely by 2023.
Labor recently confirmed that a Labor government it would phase out the live export of sheep, and would work with farmers, unions and business to develop a Strategic Red Meat Industry Plan to help sheep farmers make the transition to a model that delivers sustainable profitability.
Labor's support of the Live Sheep Long Haul Export Prohibition Bill 2018 will increase its chances of being debated in the House of Representatives.
The latest moves follow the release of footage of sheep suffering in extreme heat aboard a ship from Perth to Doha by Animals Australia. Following the release, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud called for a review of the standards for live sheep export.
The review returned a number of recommendations, such as increased space for sheep and reduced number of animals on ships during hot months, investigations on ships with a mortality rate of one per cent of sheep or more, and tougher penalties for companies that breach these rules.
Sheep exports to the Middle East, however, will continue during the hottest months of the year.
Littleproud recently said an eventual transition away from live exports was “a possibility” if other countries in the Middle East and Asia upgraded refrigeration “but as this stage that’s decades away”.
