THE fallout from the live export crisis that shook the government last year has spread to the Middle East as sheep traders accuse Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig of jeopardising the $200 million market by bungling new regulations.
Senator Ludwig will return from leave to lead an emergency delegation to the region on Thursday following industry warnings that it would be impossible to meet a February 29 deadline for export accreditation and the trade could grind to a halt, The Australian Financial Review reports.
Companies that sell sheep to the Middle East say the rules do not suit those markets and have not been properly explained by the Australian government to the local authorities involved in the live trade.
Industry leaders who will accompany Senator Ludwig to Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are pushing for an extension of the deadline and want the government to take account of the local conditions.
"We are not going to be ready by March 1," said Michael Stanton, a director of Perth-based Emanuel Exports, which sends about 1 million sheep to the Middle East each year.
"Nothing we say has been taken on board [by the government]."
Animal welfare activists have long called for an end to live sheep exports to the Middle East, arguing too many sheep die at sea and are mistreated.
Animals Australia executive director Glenys Oogjes said the industry had had plenty of time to meet the deadline and was seeking to blame the government for its own failure. She urged Senator Ludwig to hold firm to the February deadline for live exports.
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