NZ farmers oppose LE - reputation more important!

What a contrast to Australia: New Zealand's reputation is too important to allow the export of live sheep for slaughter, say NZ farming industry leaders.

Would be nice to think they were squeaky clean but thats perhaps not entirely the case. The NZ government have been accused of a dodgy deal with a previous Saudi Live Exporter. From 1989 until 2003, Al Khalaf exported about five million live sheep for slaughter into the Middle East from New Zealand, until the practice was stopped after 4000 sheep died aboard the Cormo Express. He has now apparently been compensated to the tune of $6 mill. No wonder the NZ farmers are outraged....they support the decision not to export live but, quite rightly, are not very happy when a Saudi millionaire, at the very heart of their ban (and financial hardship at the time) gets a nice compo payout. But then.....any rational Australian would know the same thing....there is only one clear winner in LE and that is the exporters!!!