Information obtained through Official Information Act requests has revealed that as many as ten times more animals could be dying shortly after live export voyages compared with during the journey.

SAFE CEO Debra Ashton said the information was shocking, given the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) only publishes data based on the number of cows who die during the journey.

"If the cows who died shortly after the voyage were included in MPI’s statistics, the number of deaths, in many cases, would double".

"Further, if the cows who were given grave prognoses - meaning they are unlikely to survive - at the end of quarantine were included, the death toll would increase, in some cases, three-fold, and in at least one case, ten-fold, over and above the listed voyage deaths."

Following a shipment that left New Plymouth on 24 September 2021, MPI reported only the three deaths that occurred onboard. However, a post-arrival report SAFE obtained revealed a further eleven cows died during quarantine. An additional 20 cows were given a "grave prognosis" whose condition was expected to deteriorate even with medical intervention.

This means the total number of deaths attributed to this voyage was up to 34, not three, as MPI published on their website. The 30-day post-arrival reports do not capture the fate of cows with a "grave prognosis".

The move to ban live export by sea was recently debated in parliament. National MP, Tim van de Molen, claimed that cows are "… often coming off the vessels in better condition than they boarded at New Zealand."

However, the post-arrival reports obtained by SAFE listed causes of death that included: hemorrhagic septicemia (a bacterial disease), pneumonia, rib fracture, stomach rupture, intestinal bleeding, lung adhesion, necrosis and suffocation - conditions that indicate a high degree of suffering and extremely poor animal welfare conditions.

"The conditions, both onboard live export ships and at their destination countries, can be appalling. These realities are at odds with New Zealand’s desire to be a world leader on animal welfare," Ashton said.

"A ban on live export can’t come soon enough. Furthermore, it begs the question; why is the Agriculture Minister allowing MPI to publish incomplete data on their website?"

The Al Kuwait, one of the world’s largest live export ships, is expected in Timaru this weekend, and the Ocean Swagman is due to arrive in Napier Port tomorrow.

Timaru locals are planning to protest the Al Kuwait's arrival this Sunday at 11.30am, at the same time as Napier locals plan to protest the arrival of the Ocean Swagman.

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