Latest industry report points to 18 per cent growth in live export industry, despite Government claims

Australia’s total livestock exports have increased by 18 per cent since 2022, despite Federal Government claims the live sheep trade is “in decline”, while mortality rates were the lowest on record last year according to an industry report. The figures were revealed in the first annual State of the Industry report, developed by industry research body the Australian Livestock Export Corporation, or LiveCorp. According to the study, Australia’s live export industry is valued at $1.03 billion and exported more than 1.3 million head of livestock in 2023. Cattle volumes were up 6 per cent and sheep volumes rose 30 per cent compared to 2022. The report’s findings come as Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt pushes ahead with Labor’s election promise to ban live sheep exports by sea, despite massive backlash from across the agriculture sector. Announcing a May 2028 cut-off date for the industry last month, Mr Watt said the live sheep trade “has been in decline for many years, down from $415 million in 2002-03 to $77m in 2022-23.” LiveCorp CEO Wayne Collier said there had been “strong” community recognition of live export’s contribution to regional Australia, while acknowledging the public had questions about animal welfare in the industry. He said the report set out to address those concerns. “We’ve collated and analysed the data in different ways to help answer some common questions, like how many consignments of cattle and sheep leave Australia each year, and how long they spend travelling to different regions,” Mr Collier said. “The report also provides an opportunity to talk about the industry’s research projects and other activities.” Nearly 50 per cent of cattle voyages were recorded to have no mortalities in 2023, and the annual mortality rate was 0.05 per cent, which is the lowest number of deaths on record. The mortality rate for sheep was 0.18 per cent, which is 81 per cent lower than a decade ago. The report also measured community sentiment towards live exports, with a survey indicating 36 per cent of respondents believed the benefits either slightly or greatly outweighed the costs of the trade. Twenty six per cent of respondents said the costs slightly or greatly outweighed the benefits. The survey, which has been carried out since 2019, also indicated positive community sentiment to the industry’s contribution to food security overseas. Mr Collier said LiveCorp would keep providing up-to-date data on the industry for the public. “Early each year, we’ll report on the state of the industry in the previous calendar year, drawing on fresh insights from the data being collected on ships and by the regulator,” he said. “(This will) provide the Australian community with a single source of truth on how the industry is responding to areas that matter most to them.”