New Zealand has suspended the export of live cattle after a ship that left its shores with 43 crew members and nearly 6,000 cows capsized in the East China Sea after engine trouble and as a powerful storm swept through the region in. early September. It has since raised questions about the safety and ethics of transporting livestock by sea.

The vessel, the Gulf Livestock 1, was reportedly transporting cattle from Napier in New Zealand to a port in Tangshan, China. Following the incident, the Ministry for Primary Industries (“MPI”) temporarily suspended consideration of cattle livestock export applications

Japan’s press agency, NHK says, a Panamanian-registered cargo ship issued a distress signal in waters to the west of Amami Oshima Island in southwestern Japan. The Coast Guard has sent out patrol ships to search the area, which is affected by Typhoon Maysak. Only two survivors have been found so far. Rescuers have also reported the carcasses of at least a dozen cows floating in the water and washing ashore near where the ship went down.

The vessel had been checked before it left Napier and there was nothing to suggest the vessel was not in good condition when it left the port. An MPI spokeswoman confirmed the vessel was also subject to an inspection by an MPI Verification Services Authorised Person – a Port Veterinarian - prior to its departure from Napier However, the Port Veterinarian "focused primarily on disease risk and animal welfare", the spokeswoman said.

As news of the missing ship circulated in New Zealand, the country’s MPI said that it would temporarily stop considering export applications for live cattle as it tries to understand what happened during the ships’s journey. The statement did not elaborate or give a timeline.

New Zealand has placed a web of restrictions on the export of livestock for slaughter for years, effectively outlawing the trade. But many live animals are sent abroad for breeding. According to data from the MPI, nearly 40,000 cattle have been exported so far in 2020.

SAFE Campaigns Manager Marianne Macdonald says this tragedy demonstrates the risks in the live export trade.

"Kiwis are rightfully appalled by the news that 5867 New Zealand cows have likely drowned at sea. Damien O'Connor is yet to signal where the Government stands on live export and people deserve to know."

Macdonald says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor must, at the very least, place a moratorium on live exports while his review is underway.

"This is a high-risk trade that puts the lives of animals at risk which is why the export of live animals must be banned."

China overtook the United States in 2019 as the biggest market for New Zealand beef, although the coronavirus pandemic stymied its demand in the first quarter of this year. A single cow would sell for between NZ$1,800 - NZ$2,000 (HK$9,300 - $10,300) on the export market but would only fetch NZ$900 (HK$4680) domestically.

Main source: NZ Herald