thumb|Purpose-built sheep carrier
Live export is the commercial transport of livestock across national borders. The trade involves a number of countries with the Australian live export industry being one of the largest exporters in the global trade. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, exports of live sheep rose 21.4% and live calves increased 9.7% between March 2017 and March 2018. During 2017 alone, Australia exported 2.85 million living animals in shipping containers and airplanes. The expansion of the trade has been supported by the introduction of purpose-built ships which carry large numbers of animals. The amount of livestock exported from the European Union grew to nearly 586m kilograms between 2014 and 2017, a 62.5% increase during the time period.
The rising global demand for meat has resulted in the quadrupling of the export of live farm animals in the last half century, with two billion being exported in 2017, up from one billion in 2007. Roughly five million animals are in transit every day.
There has been strong criticism of the industry on animal rights grounds by animal rights organizations and the media. New Zealand has effectively phased out live exports for slaughter purposes since 2007 due to concerns about animals. reduced from 4.2 million in 2008. The total number of cattle exported in 2012 was 617, 301, down 11% from the previous year. Indonesia accounted for 45% of total live cattle exports from Australia in 2012. Total cattle exports to Indonesia reduced by 33% from 2011.
The reduction in cattle exports to Indonesia in 2012 was partly due to the newly imposed ESCAS (Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Scheme) from 2011, and partly due to Indonesia's move to become self-sufficient in beef production. Most of the livestock are for human consumption but there is also an active trade in breeding stock, including dairy cattle.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources controls the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock. The standards were amended in April 2011 (version 2.3). The department also introduced ESCAS (Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Scheme), in 2011 — a system requiring exporters to provide evidence of compliance with internationally agreed animal welfare standards, and to demonstrate traceability and control through the supply chain. According to the department, ESCAS was developed in response to evidence of cruelty to Australian cattle in Indonesia, and then extended to all livestock exports for the purpose of slaughter. See Animal Welfare section.
AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) manages quarantine controls to minimise the risk of exotic pests and diseases entering the country. AQIS also provides import and export inspection and certification to help retain Australia's highly favourable animal, plant and human health status and wide access to overseas export markets.
Other key markets include Israel, Malaysia, Japan, Mexico and China. The major markets for Australian sheep are Kuwait and Jordan. Other key markets are Bahrain, the UAE, Oman and Qatar. Australia's main market competitors are from China, South America and North Africa.
Campaigns
thumb|An anti Live Export trade protest in Brisbane, June 2019
Australia's live export industry has experienced significant scrutiny by animal welfare groups since 2003. The RSPCA is opposed to live export. Over 550,000 animals are reported to have died en route during live export journeys between 2000–2012. A 2006 Freedom of Information report revealed sheep died on route due to several factors including heat stress, septicaemia and acute pneumonia. Dr Lynn Simpson, a former on-board vet for the live export industry, made a submission to the Department of Agriculture in March 2013 condemning animal welfare conditions on live export ships. A group of former live export vets - Veterinarians Against Live Export (VALE) has formed to oppose the trade. Prominent former live export veterinarians who have spoken out against the conditions on ships include Dr Lloyd Reeve Johnson, who expressed his concern about the conflict of interest involved in live export companies paying for animal welfare advice, Dr Tony Hill, who was allegedly pressured to report 105 mortalities when in fact 2000 sheep had died, and Dr Kerkenezov, who has urged an end to an industry he calls "cruel."
In March 2011, Animals Australia investigators collected footage which showed Australian cattle being slaughtered at 11 abattoirs in Indonesia with practices that infringed upon OIE standards for animal welfare. Animals Australia and RSPCA Australia jointly complained to the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, calling for a ban on live exports. In response to the footage, live exports to Indonesia were suspended by the Australian Minister for Agriculture from 7 June 2011 until 6 July 2011. The suspension was lifted with the new Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System in place, outlining mandatory compliance for all importing markets of Australian live animals for slaughter, with international standards for animal welfare. The ESCAS regulatory framework is applicable across all importing markets as of 31 December 2012.
The footage was the subject of a separate investigation conducted by ABC program, Four Corners, shown on 30 May 2011. The report entitled "A Bloody Business" was the winner of a Logie Award for "Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report" as well as the 2011 Gold Walkley Award.
In November 2012, another widely reported investigation by Animals Australia brought attention to the slaughter of 22,000 Australian sheep in an ESCAS-approved feedlot in Pakistan, after weeks at sea upon the initial consignment being rejected by Bahrain due to claimed fears of disease. The video footage of the cull, obtained by Animals Australia "shows absolute chaos with animals being dragged, beaten, having their throats sawn at with blunt knives and thrown into mass graves -- some of them still alive hours later." Animals Australia's Campaign Director, Lyn White, stated of the incident:
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