A contentious issue ...
Reader disagrees
Kia ora. I read your article, Live exports at sea
making a comeback. I was struck by the way in which you only present one point of view, in contravention of journalistic ethics and Media Council rulings.
I would be grateful if you could publish the following points in rebuttal.
In your article, you mention ‘gold standard’ ships. These do not exist. Veterinarians on the ships have reported cases of animals being cooked in the heat, thrown around and suffering broken legs and other damage [1, 2]. It was a submission by a vet who submitted anonymously (which tells you something in itself) to the select committee, which triggered at least one of the committee members into voting for a ban.
Your article makes a point that the tragic loss of life of the Gulf Livestock coffin ship could equally have happened had it been transporting anything else. This is not true. A Guardian article from 2020 points out that livestock ships are 50% more likely to be lost than other types of shipping [2]. This is because of uncaring attitudes the industry has for both the animals and the human crew. Gulf Livestock 1 was a disaster waiting to happen. It was an unseaworthy hulk that should not have been allowed to sail on Lake Pupuke, let alone the high seas.
Even if animals could be kept in individual air conditioned cabins like Icon of the High Seas for animals, this would not prevent the cruelty they experience at the other end. China has no protections for animals under legislation at all. Once the cows have reached their use-by date, they will be slaughtered in hideous cruelty.
Stock handler Doug Ellis testified at the select committee hearing. This tough Kiwi bloke was literally in tears as he recounted the shocking way the Chinese handlers were treating the cows that were unloaded from the ship. Just the start of their living hell.
If you publish these refutations to your one-sided article, then I will not consider any necessity to make a formal complaint to the Media Council.
Dr Michael Morris, Auckland mayoral candidate 2022 for Animal Justice Auckland, Founder: Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ, Environmental policy planner.
References available on request.
A note from the editor
We have carefully considered the points made in this letter by Dr Morris. We do not believe the points he has made to be pertinent to the story printed on page 3 of the July issue of Nzfarmer.
The references he has supplied are Australian references and do not relate to New Zealand Animal Welfare standards or New Zealand exports of live cattle.
The writer has asked for his letter to be published to redress the alleged imbalance.
We include the following information from Northland beef farmer Colin Hannah.
All for it
The sooner the New Zealand Government gives the green light to re-start live cattle exports the better.
There is high demand globally for quality 15- to 20-month dairy replacement heifers and dairy beef heifers and steers, particularly from New Zealand because of our relatively disease-free status.
In New Zealand, we have more than two million surplus calves a year from our dairy farms and we simply do not have enough land in grass to graze these cattle.
Furthermore, Fonterra’s edict specifying no on-farm disposal of non-replacement calves has created a major dilemma for dairy farmers due to a combination of animal welfare legislated requirements in time allowed for the transportation to the nearest processing plant. This is further exacerbated in Northland, where freezing works no longer process non-replacement calves.
New rules around feeding and age requirements before processing often stretch resources on farm in the busiest time of the year, leaving farmers with limited solutions to make the problem go away, made worse by challenges in finding reliable farm workers with skills.
The only option a farmer has is to sell these calves to a rearer – if they can find someone to take them on. However, that is not easy, given the huge market variability in demand at this age and the product cost and time factors for the rearer.
The fact is most only require between 10 and 25% of female calves for herd replacements. The remaining offspring need to find a new home.
Specialist vessels are available for transportation, rather than refitted ships – many of which were old rust buckets.
New vessels are temperature-controlled to manage build-up of ammonia which can cause respiratory problems and even death.
In fact, the stock transport ships are like the equivalent of flying business class today, with the cattle monitored 24 hours a day while moving from one country to another.
Cattle are prepared for these journeys in specialised feed lots to adjust the rumen to different feed types required for the voyage, to avoid upset stomachs caused by conditions such as acidosis.
They also go through an array of tests for biosecurity purposes prior to leaving and the quarantine process usually sorts out animals that don’t adjust to the new regime.
The animals are vaccinated to prevent diseases being spread and to avoid catching a disease which they have not been exposed to in New Zealand.
It is worth remembering that the staff who look after these animals are highly qualified and actually care about the wellbeing of the cattle. A veterinarian also accompanies the animals during the transport process.
The benefit to the community from farm to city financially is high. Every dollar recovered through a sale of these cattle will circulate from five to seven times through the community. This creates employment, and allows the training of local people in apprenticeships in a raft of trades in the community.
Live cattle exporting is a no-brainer for New Zealand to get us out of our current dilemma. The quality of our animals gives peace-ofmind for the other countries buying them because our cattle will produce more milk or grow more beef for a given input of feed. They are more efficient, more productive and environmentally friendly.
This is absolutely necessary for a world that is short of food and water. Without these basics, the world becomes a very unstable place just around the basic instincts for survival. For world peace, the necessary components are food and water. This is part of that process.
Colin Hannah, Northland beef farmer