Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council Releases Heat Stress Risk Assessment Draft

The Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council is consulting with sheep producers and other supply chain stakeholders following the release by the Federal Department of Agriculture & Water Resources of the draft report on the Heat Stress Risk Assessment for live sheep exports.

Now that the consultation process has commenced, ALEC will examine the details of the proposed HSRA and work with its partners in the supply chain to produce a comprehensive response.

It is very clear that the draft HSRA, as it stands, would have a significant impact on Australia’s sheep industry, especially in Western Australia.

Image Credit: auslivestockexport.com

With regard to industry reform, exporters, producers and other supply chain stakeholders are eagerly awaiting the Federal Government’s imminent release of the updated Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock. The updated ASEL, alongside HSRA requirements, will provide much-needed certainty regarding the practical and commercial parameters on which the livestock export industry will operate in the future.

ALEC’s announcement last week that livestock exporters would observe an annual three-month moratorium in sheep shipments to the Middle East during the Northern Hemisphere summer, commencing from 1 June 2019, reflects this need for certainty and confidence for producers and our overseas customers.

In the meantime, exporters will continue to make significant investments in technology to monitor and manage welfare risks, reflecting the care we have for the animals in our supply chains, while working hard to maintain a commercially viable trade.

Reference: auslivestockexport.com

Source: Maritime Shipping News