February 14, 2022

 

Chinese firm urges New Zealand to reverse plans to ban live animal exports

 

 

China Animal Husbandry Group is urging the New Zealand government to reverse plans to ban live animal exports, warning that bilateral relationships could be affected once the ban is enforced, Newsroom New Zealand reported.

 

Damien O'Connor, New Zealand's Agriculture Minister, announced in April 2021 that the country will stop livestock exports by sea from April 2023 citing concerns that it would damage the country's animal welfare reputation.

 

This comes after a case of death and poor cattle health was discovered among livestock shipping to Sri Lanka in 2019. Another case in 2020 saw 41 crew and 6,000 cattle died when their ship capsized near Japan after departing from Napier towards China.

 

The majority of New Zealand's live cattle exports are destined to China. Since 2018, China has been the only destination for the exports of nearly 300,000 cattle.

 

O'Connor said the government has informed their Chinese counterparts.

 

The China Animal Husbandry Group said the closing of the trade between both countries will reduce the mutual collaboration of industry people from both parties.

 

The company said many newly established dairy farms in China want to use New Zealand cattle as they are quality dairy breeding stock with better genetics and milk production.

 

The company has submitted its concerns to New Zealand's Parliament's primary production committee, which will deliberate on the the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill that enforces the ban,

 

China Animal Husbandry Group owns and runs a large quarantine facility in the port city of Yantai, Shandong province of China. The facility can hold up to 7,000 breeding cattle per shipment, and has strict quarantine rules and guidelines for  constant watch of cattle conditions and punctual treatment of any ill livestock.

 

Another company, the JunLeBao Dairy Group, also opposed the ban on live exports as it would affect its plans to export a further 60,000 Holstein heifers from New Zealand and Australia over the next five years.

 

The JunLeBao Dairy Group is the biggest dairy powder producer in China.

 

The primary production committee is expected to report back on the bill by April 19, 2022.

 

-      Newsroom New Zealand