Morocco eager for Australian live sheep even faced with 2028 trade ban

Published Dec 18, 2024

Tridge summary

Morocco is keen to secure live sheep imports from Australia ahead of the 2028 trade ban, due to the quality of Australian livestock and meat, and strong animal welfare standards. However, negotiations with Australia on protocols have stalled, despite Morocco's urgent need to address a national livestock shortage caused by a drought and a desire to increase red meat supplies. Morocco has also imported sheepmeat and goatmeat from Argentina, and Merinos from Spain for the religious festival Eid Al-Adha. The Australian Livestock Exporters Council CEO highlighted Morocco's interest in importing Australian sheep and the challenges in negotiating health protocols, while the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry emphasized the importance of transparency in these negotiations, ensuring they are aware that the trade will cease by 2028.

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Original content

Morocco still wants to import Australian live sheep in the few years before the trade is banned, but negotiations to establish the appropriate protocols appear to have stalled. International market developer Youssef Moussaoui Zoukaghe is based in Spain but has taken part in a number of key projects in Morocco, where a major drought in recent years means the country is heavily invested in boosting national supplies of both livestock and red meat. Just last week Morocco approved imports of sheepmeat and goatmeat from Argentina, while earlier in the year the nation turned to imported Merinos from Spain to meet the heightened demand during religious festival Eid Al-Adha. Mr Moussaoui Zoukaghe said Morocco was very interested in establishing a livestock trade with Australia for both cattle and sheep, due to the health quality of live animals from Australia, the quality of meat, and the importance that Australia places on animal welfare and export conditions. "On the other hand, the ...

Source: Farmweekly