Source: Radio New Zealand
Todd McClay says he does not think there will be a resumption of live animal exports any time soon. RNZ / Mark Papalii
The National Party has withdrawn its support for resuming live animal exports by sea.
Animal Welfare Minister Andrew Hoggard announced on Tuesday that the government would not get round to resuming the trade this term as there were more pressing matters.
The government vowed to reinstate the trade with a new gold standard of animal welfare, but after making it into ACT and National’s coalition agreement – the plan seemed to get lost in the cogs of Parliament.
Speaking to Midday Report Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay said his party had withdrawn support for reinstating the trade.
“It was a policy that the National [Party] had before the last election, and I put it forward as our agricultural spokesperson then, now as agricultural minister. But I was also very clear that we had to have a gold standard, and for animals to leave New Zealand, it had to be the highest level of animal welfare and animal husbandry that New Zealanders would expect.
“We are not convinced that that is possible and so we’ve said that we won’t support that anymore.”
Labour banned live exports by sea three years ago due to animal welfare concerns.
Before the ban the trade which was worth about $300 million a year saw cattle shipped to China to help build the dairy herd there.
McClay said if a case could be made where animal welfare could be guaranteed National would relook at it.
“But I don’t think that is possible so we’re not supporting it. It’s not something I think we’ll see any time soon.”
Green Party spokesperson Steve Abel RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Green Party spokesperson Steve Abel said National and ACT should never have committed to reinstating exports.
“Look, I think that neither National nor ACT did the background work on establishing if they were committed to the principle of upholding the highest animal welfare standards, which is what New Zealanders expect.
“Can they resume this fundamentally cruel trade? There is no veterinary expert who independently states that that was ever possible. That answer should have been able to be got before the last election.”
Abel said he was glad the truth has come to light.
“This gold standard idea is a public relations exercise that has no substance in fact and the minister, it sounds like, has rightly pulled the pin on the plans to resume live exports at sea.”
Abel said the live animal export industry wassn’t one National should be bending over backwards for.
“It’s a tiny cohort of particularly vested interests who want to reinstate this trade and the public don’t like it because New Zealanders do not want to see animals suffering.
“There should be no future for live exports in New Zealand and it’s a good thing if the National Party are committed to make sure it doesn’t come back.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
