TURKEY REFUSAL TO UNLOAD RAISES CONCERN FOR AUSTRALIAN EXPORT

The Spiridon 2 debacle has reignited concern about rejection of cattle shipments on arrival in Turkey.

Turkey has some form when it comes to rejecting cattle consignments - and in every case the ending has been bad.

• Elbeik - December 2020, loaded 1,800 bulls in Spain. Rejected on arrival in Turkey because of bluetongue. There was an outbreak of bluetongue in Spain at the time, but not in the area from which the bulls were reported to have come, and no clinical signs of bluetongue in the cattle. Elbeik sailed around the Mediterranean for ten weeks, but a country could not be found to take the cattle. Mortalities steadily increased (not bluetongue) and the ship eventually returned to Spain where the surviving cattle were discharged and euthanased on the wharf.
  
•  Karim Allah - December 2020, loaded 864 young cattle in Spain. Similar history to Elbeik and similar outcome - return to Spain where the surviving cattle were discharged and euthanased on the wharf.
  
• 2024 - Many trucks loaded with cattle held up for days/weeks at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. The death of 69 pregnant dairy heifers from Germany, held in trucks for weeks at the Turkish border was a high-profile exposé by European animal welfare groups.
• 2025 - Spiridion 2.

A consignment of Australian cattle rejected on arrival in Turkey (for whatever reason or lack of reason) would not be able to return to Australia and would have no more chance of finding another country willing to accept the cattle than the Elbeik, Karim Allah or Spiridon 2. DAFF should be watching this space closely...but one could be reasonably certainly they wont! No doubt they have some watertight Memorandum of Understanding...watertight still it starts leaking.