Tiffany upbeat about live Middle East trip

When Tiffany Davey departs on her maiden live voyage this month, she will not be overwhelmed.

The looming live sheep and cattle journey aboard Rural Export and Trading WA’s Al Shuwaikh excites Ms Davey, 23, who is upbeat ahead of the Middle East-bound shipment.

“We leave just before Christmas, the date is unconfirmed at the moment, and there will be a few stops in the Middle East along the way — I’m really looking forward to it,” she said.

“I’ve been really lucky previously to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia, where we have supplied animals to, to check out the feedlots and abattoirs to get an understanding of who we are feeding.

“That is why I love this industry, because we feed people across the world, so to now be involved with the shipping supply chain and look after the animals on the ship is exciting.”

The Konnongorring farmer completed LiveCorp’s four-day Shipboard Stockperson Training Course at Tradewinds Hotel in Fremantle last Tuesday to Friday to kick-start her career within the live trade.

It gave Ms Davey accreditation to service the live export trade, in accordance with the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock.

This is a great way for me to get an understanding of the bigger picture

Ms Davey said her upcoming journey aboard Al Shuwaikh would not only be an opportunity to improve her knowledge of the live export supply chain, but also others.

“This is a great way for me to get an understanding of the bigger picture,” she said.

“We need to get better at telling our stories and the best way to do that is educating the broader community.

“The more understanding I have of the whole industry, the better I will be at being about to share what we do and communicate it to others.”

Well-known animal handler Byron O’Keefe, Harvey farmer and animal welfare consultant Blythe Calnan, stockman Richard Leitch and veterinarian Renee Willis presented the four-day course.

LiveCorp’s Shipboard Stockpersons’ Training Course is part of the accreditation program needed for people responsible for the care of livestock exported on vessels.

Program participants who satisfied its requirements — participation, satisfactory assessment of livestock handling skills and a written exam — were awarded a certificate of provisional accreditation.

Full accreditation will be awarded after the participant completes two live voyages, where their competency on board will be assessed.