WA sheep shipments swell ahead of Ramadan

Live sheep shipments from WA to the Middle East jumped in the lead-up to Ramadan, after the trade’s slow start to the year. The latest Federal Government figures show 133,828 head of sheep were shipped from WA last month, with all consignments departing Fremantle Port. April’s four voyages lifted this year’s live sheep export total to 418,936 head from 17 shipments. It came ahead of last weekend’s Eid al Fitr holiday — a Muslim celebration marking the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset Ramadan fast. Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan have acquired most of the sheep sent for slaughter this year, while Russia took 7916 head for flock breeding, according to the Federal Government. Mecardo analyst Matt Dalgleish, who has led multiple reports on the importance of the live sheep trade to WA’s economy, said Middle East shipments spiked in the past two months. While noting January and February shipments trended lower than previous years, Mr Dalgleish said Kuwait’s increased demand caused an end-of-quarter surge. “During January and February flows to Qatar and Kuwait were 31 per cent and 54 per cent below trend, respectively,” he said. “No Australian sheep were shipped to Jordan, however, March saw a big turnaround. “While Qatar remained 15 per cent below the five-year trend for March, there were significant lifts for Kuwait, Jordan and the UAE.” The Federal Government’s four-month live sheep shipping pause to Qatar during the northern hemisphere summer started last Friday and lasts until September 22. The Middle Eastern nation was Australia’s second biggest live sheep customer last year, with the market worth $31.8 million. This year’s shipping pause to Qatar is longer than the blanket moratorium to, or through, the Middle East to other nations, such as Kuwait and Jordan, which will span from June 1 to September 14. WA live exporters have argued the extended live sheep shipping prohibition for Qatar will hurt long-term relations and force the major sheep importer to look elsewhere for sustainable supply. Mr Dalgleish said Qatar remained one of WA’s important live sheep markets. “Although Kuwait saw a significant jump in live sheep imported from Australia in March, it wasn’t enough to unseat Qatar from the top export destination for the 2020 season,” he said. “Qatar has received a total of 100,000 head for the first quarter of the year, accounting for 34 per cent of all live sheep exports from Australia. “The tally so far this season to Kuwait sits at just over 91,000 head, or 31 per cent of the total flows.”