The last consignment of New Zealand’s livestock departed the port of New Plymouth on Friday as the government’s ban on livestock exports by sea went into effect for animal welfare reasons.
Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor said that New Zealand’s exports of live animals by sea had ceased after a two-year transition period ended.
“Our position on the map means that the journey to northern hemisphere markets will always be a long one, and this brings unavoidable animal welfare challenges,” O’Connor said in a statement.
The impact of the ban on export flow is expected to be minimal, given that live exports by sea have only accounted for about 0.32 percent of New Zealand’s primary sector export revenue since 2015, the minister stated….