The Australian Parliament has passed a law to ban the export of live sheep by sea starting May 1, 2028, to protect animals from long sea journeys to Asia and the Middle East. The government will provide a 107 million Australian dollar aid package to phase out these exports over the next four years and support meat processing businesses. This decision comes as live sheep exports have declined, now representing less than 1% of Western Australia's agricultural sector, and aligns Australia with New Zealand's recent ban on live cattle exports by sea. The move also follows a recent incident where Australia refused to export 14,000 sheep and cows to Israel due to security concerns.