Sheep industry pledges to 'robustly defend' live exports in face of potential ban

The NSA has vowed to defend "legitimate" activity ahead of planned consultation on a live export ban
The NSA has vowed to defend "legitimate" activity ahead of planned consultation on a live export ban

The National Sheep Association has pledged to "robustly defend" what is a "legitimate and important" activity for the sheep industry as the prospect of a live export ban nears.

The comments by the sheep industry follow an announcement last week that the government will consult this spring on potentially banning the live export of farm animals.

Chipping Barnet MP, Theresa Villiers’ Private Members’ Bill on ending live animal exports had its second reading in the House of Commons on 2 February.

A Westminster Hall debate on the issue has also been scheduled to take place on 26 February following the success of a petition which has attained over 50,000 signatories.

However, the National Sheep Association (NSA) has pledged to "robustly defend" the activity for the UK sheep sector.

'Illogical'

Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, said the NSA remains opposed to any ban on live exports.

“We cannot see how it could operate, as it would go against all government policy on trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,” Mr Stocker explained.

“The suggestion that movements across water should be banned, rather than all live exports, is similarly illogical as sea transit causes no welfare problems and ending it would decimate essential UK trade and devastate many island communities.”

Mr Stocker said a "more intelligent solution" would be the proposed industry assurance scheme for live export routes.

'Severely hindered'

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has said the economics of livestock production in Northern Ireland would be "severely hindered" if the ban was imposed and this would have "adverse impacts" for the environment and rural areas.

Northern Ireland is one of the most productive livestock regions in Europe. It has a strong cattle and sheep industry which is highly dependent on live exports to maintain the economic viability of the sector.

Five year averages for Northern Ireland show that almost 60,000 cattle and 485,000 sheep are exported live annually to a variety of destinations in Britain, the Republic of Ireland and also further afield in continental Europe.

The comments by the industry follow a Parliamentry event attended by over 50 MPs which called for an end to live animal exports for slaughter.