Former Australian minister seeks ban on live sheep exports to Gulf states
22/05/2018
Ms Ley wants to end exports of live animals to countries in the Persian Gulf or on the Red Sea during the hottest months of the year in that part of the world (July, August and September) for a transition period and then ban them altogether thereafter. She has suggested a transition period of five years.
Farming industry leaders have said they believe it’s unlikely Ms Ley’s campaign will win enough support in parliament to become law.
Sussan Ley spent 17 years as a sheep farmer and has said she knows “all the arguments” used to support export trade in live sheep in lambs because she used to use them herself. But she said: “Recently I found cause to look at the industry with fresh eyes. I have been shocked, angered, bewildered and disappointed.”
She now believes that abattoirs in Australia should take charge of the slaughter of the animals and export the meat to markets around the world, including the Middle East.
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