Tridge summary
The live sheep export industry in Australia has seen a decline in recent years, with a peak of 7.6 million head in 1987 dropping to about 500,000 in the last year. This decrease is due to several factors, including the introduction of the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) in the Middle East and North Africa, a northern hemisphere moratorium, and a severe drought in the Eastern States. The moratorium has led to an oversupply of sheep in Western Australia and a potential discount for farmers. However, the industry has also seen an increase in slaughter numbers due to the proposed phase-out of live sheep exports. Changes in Australia's sheep flock composition and competition from lower-cost markets in the Middle East and North Africa have also impacted the industry. Despite these challenges, Saudi Arabia, a major market, is considering reopening, which could potentially double current sheep export numbers from Western Australia.
Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.
Original content
"THE trade is dying'' is one of the main arguments used against live sheep exports by sea. At first glance this may be mistaken as truth, with about 500,000 head exported last year - after peaking at 7.6 million head in 1987. But numbers alone don't tell the entire story or highlight the reasons for the slide. In the past decade, multiple factors have affected the live sheep export industry at different times. The decline started in 2012, after the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) was introduced to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Saudi Arabia ended shipments from Australia. Read also: To paint a picture, 1.9m sheep were exported by sea in 2013, compared to 2.4m in 2011. Implementation of the Northern Hemisphere moratorium followed in 2019, which prohibited trade to the Middle East from June to September. A year later, 1.3m sheep exited Western Australia, as the Eastern States emerged from severe drought and farmers started restocking. This saw live ...
Source: Farmweekly
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