AS PART of today’s announcement by federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce that live sheep shipments can recommence to Bahrain, it was also made clear the 2013 decision on memorandum of understandings (MoUs) will be reversed.

The live export MoUs were implemented as a risk management agreement with importing countries soon after the MV Cormo Express disaster in 2003.

This incident saw 58,000 sheep, which were loaded at Fremantle, Western Australia, rejected by their destination, Saudi Arabia, and left with nowhere to unload.

The Australian government purchased the sheep from the importer, but it wasn’t until 79 days after they left Fremantle and having been knocked back by 30 countries that the sheep were eventually unloaded to a feedlot in Eritrea, in the Horn of Africa.

“Then out of that came a decision by the government to put in place MoUs in markets in the Middle East, particularly focused around agreements that ships will discharge,” said Australian Livestock Exporters Council (ALEC) chief executive officer Alison Penfold.

“That’s been the policy of successive governements.”

Ms Penfold said ALEC’s view was each market be approached on a risk-based basis and the industry has articulated this to the current and previous governments.

She said ALEC was reinforcing its view to government that agreements were needed to make sure all livestock were discharged from a vessel upon arrival.

The aim was that any issues, should they arise, were dealt with quickly and don’t manifest in terms of a rejection or failure to discharge a vessel.

“Written assurances are a part of it, but there are a range of other activities that we need to complete as well and that’s why we will live within the boundaries of this MoU decision made by the Minister.”

Mr Joyce said MoUs were first introduced in 2004 following the Cormo disaster, but the policy was expanded by Labor in 2013 to include all new livestock markets.

“I have decided to reverse this decision – trade can go ahead in new markets without an MoU,” he said.