Queensland's Country Life has just reported the most amazing admission from Landmark International's General Manager Mr Andy Ingle:

“It has been made very clear in both the ASEL review and by HSRA review panel that a move away from mortality as a measure to heat stress risk assessment is favored” Mr Ingle said.

“But it will halt the trade of all shipments made of cattle from southern ports and notably of Bos Taurus cattle. It will be devastating for the region’s producers as it is not possible, even through the preferred shipping months between November to April, to met the recommended Wet Bulb temperature (WBT) of 28 degrees threshold as ships near the Equator”.

As an example, he said on Landmark’s most recent shipment to Russia, which is currently disembarking 12,000 feeder steers and included 6000 steers in Israel, the WBT through that voyage ran above the 28-degree threshold for seven consecutive days as it crossed the Equator and the shipment recorded only 0.013 per cent mortality rate."

[This is a direct quote with BOLDING FROM VALE.]

So here we are again....7 consecutive days of heat stress is  fine....so long as they dont die. There is a reason the HSRA and ASEL are being revised Mr Ingle....this is no longer (and never was) acceptable!

The heat stress risk assessment draft report is out....and, using animal welfare rather than mortality as a goal (after 40 years of suffering), it is evident that sheep cant go to to the ME during the northern summer (plus a fair few other months).

In addition, the report recommends that its not only the shipping phase but the destination ports that need to be considered......at last some common sense.

VALE congratulates the advisory panel for their thorough assessment.

And now...it looks like job done. The live sheep export trade is effectively OVER!

Well the breaking news is that sheep will no longer be exported to the Middle East during northern hemisphere summer....well for 3 months of it.

Exporters have agreed to impose a three-month moratorium on shipments in a bid to “reset” the trade and apparently wrote to WA sheep producers yesterday advising of the moratorium, which will take effect from June 1, 2019.

VALE commends this action BUT but a cynic would also comment that this was probably going to be the case anyway assuming, as seems likely that ALP will win the 2019 election. If the exporters had been really serious, about animal welfare they would have ceased the trade from May to October as has been recommended by the Australian Veterinary Association. BUT....at least it gives the farmers certainty so they can now get on with transition planning etc ....the very real positive to come out of this.