Live sheep exports banned

Press, 6 February 1986, Page 1

Live sheep exports banned

By

PATRICIA HERBERT

In Wellington The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moyle, has prohibited live sheep exports in the Merino Express until improvements are made to the ship and the feeding arrangements provided. The prohibition may jeopardise this month’s planned delivery of 18,000 ewes to Mexico by Animal Enterprises, the Hamiltonbased company responsible for the first shipment late last year. Mr Moyle made the announcement yesterday after reading the report of the veterinarian who accompanied the voyage, Mr G. B. Davis.

The mortality rate was 2.4 per cent which Mr Moyle described as too high, indicating that a figure in the 1 per cent range would be acceptable.

“Ideally you don’t want any (deaths) but the reality is that in any (mass)

movement of stock there will be fatalities,” he said. He did not know whether the conditions he had imposed would destroy the viability of the trade but said that was neither his concern nor his problem. He was concerned only that the sheep be transported “in a humane fashion." “The Press” sought comment yesterday on the economic implications of the decision from the general manager of Animal Enterprises, Mr Don Tate, but his office said he was unavailable. He has, however, rehearsed the issues with the Ministry of Agriculture. A Ministry spokesman, Mr Chris Boland, said that at this stage there was “no point of conflict” but that the discussions had not yet reached “decision level.” The measures Mr Moyle insists upon before agreeing to recommend to

the Minister of Customs, Mrs Shields, that another export permit be granted for the vessel are: © Improved ventilation of the lower decks so that there is no significant difference between the interior and the outside air temperature. “This would greatly add to the comfort of the animals and would reduce the ammonia levels by drying out the sheep droppings,” Mr Moyle said. © Provision of more feed and improved access to it by converting one of the water troughs in each pen to a feeding trough. Mr Moyle said that while the sheep had apparently found the food palatable, the diet seemed less than adequate to maintain body weight and should be increased. He would insist that a Ministry veterinarian accompany the next shipment to check that the improvements were effec-

tive. While he recognised that there were “obvious deficiencies” on the Merino Express which must be corrected, Mr Moyle was critical of the “near hysterical” reports sent back to New Zealand from "so-called observers” who had watched the ship berth at Mexico City. In response, he released yesterday the official report in the hope that “a sober presentation of the facts” would temper public concern. Mr Davis reports that the trade is not cruel but is rather an extension of accepted farming practice where animals are confined to a pen and held for a period of time. The only difference, he suggests, is that the pens are in a ship which is moving through latitudes where higher temperatures can be expected. “This, in my opinion, does not constitute

cruelty,” he said. He acknowledged, however, that some animals — a small proportion — did become stressed, dull, and inactive during the voyage but said that they were not the ones that died. Of the 433 deaths, 72 per cent occurred on the five lower decks where 46 per cent of the sheep were held. The principal cause of death was anorexia-hypocalcaemia in the early stages and anorexia-enteritis in the later stages. The background causes for both conditions were heat, gases, and “less than optimal ventilation,” Mr Davis said. During unloading, 55 sheep died. Mr Davis said the shipment was inspected on arrival and that although many sheep had lost some condition and 15 per cent were considered thin, they were generally in good health.