Victory! New Zealand Bans Live Animal Export; New Law Goes Into Effect In April Of 2023

Yesterday, the government of New Zealand signed a new bill into law that bans all live animal export beginning on April 30, 2023. This comes two years after a live export disaster that claimed the lives of 6,000 cows and 41 crew members after a vessel that left New Zealand, headed for China, subsequently capsized off the coast of Japan.

As per the NSPCA, the new law specifically states that, “A person must not apply for, and the Director-General must not issue, an animal welfare export certificate for the export of cattle, deer, goats, or sheep by ship.”

On board live export vessels, live animals are at sea for extended periods of time and it is an arduous journey as they are subjected to severe heat, stress, overcrowding, while living in an accumulation of their own excrements.

As previously reported by WAN, earlier this year, more than 15,000 sheep drowned after a live export ship sank in Sudan. In 2021, 3,000 cattle were stranded at sea for three months, leaving many dead, dying, starving or extremely dehydrated.

FOUR PAWS is among the animal welfare organizations that are calling the passing of this new law a “milestone for animal welfare” and urges the EU to follow suit to ban all live animal exports when publishing the new legislative agenda next year.

“Animals that are being transported for a longer period of time – be it at sea or at land – suffer tremendously. This is a fact,” Pierre Sultana, Director of the European Policy Office (EPO) at FOUR PAWS, said in a statement, while also pointing to the recent tragedy where 800 bulls had to be slaughtered because of bureaucratic problems.

“Political decisions can also be implemented within a shorter period of time, if there is a will to do so,” continued Sultana, emphasizing that these types of animal welfare tragedies are preventable.

“We urge the European Union to ban the export of animals for slaughter, breeding and fattening,” concluded Sultana.

Please sign FOUR PAWS’ petition urging the French Presidency of the European Council, and all EU Member States to finally put an end to cruel live animal transport, HERE!

You can help all animals and our planet by choosing compassion on your plate and in your glass. #GoVeg

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