The Australian opposition undertakes to cancel the ban on the export of live sheep

The National Liberal Coalition, the opposition block in Australia, has announced its intention to cancel the ban on the export of live sheep abroad if it wins the upcoming federal election. The current Government of the Labor Party promised to end the export of live sheep by 2028, a decision that would directly affect farmers in Western Australia, which is one of the decisive states in the election scheduled on May 3. The Living Sheep Export Act was approved last year, with the government allocating a $ 107 million ($ 68.2 million) transition support package to help through the decision that became. At a press conference held on Saturday, the Minister of Agriculture in the Shadow Government, David Litlbood, said: “The first draft law I will submit if you take over the Ministry of Agriculture will be the resale of living sheep.” He added that the first visit in this position “to the Middle East region will be to improve the basic relations and ensure the continuation of this trade in Australia.” Sheep exports have decreased. The government’s data showed that Australia issued approximately 652,000 sheep per sea during the year 2022-2023, compared to 5.92 million twenty years ago. Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, the sultanate of Oman and the Emirates combined more than 80% of Australian exports of live sheep, according to a report issued by the ACIL Allen Research Foundation in 2023. The demand for living sheep in the region is based on ancient cultural and religious traditions. In December, the Royal Society for Cruelty to Animals in Australia said that live sheep exports represent only 1% of the total value of the Australian export of meat and sheep wool. The association expressed its support for the ban on the export of living sheep, based on concerns about animal care.