An Australian-based live sheep exporter says he would welcome an end to the moratorium on live sheep exports from New Zealand to Saudi Arabia.
George Assaf successfully exported more than five million sheep from Napier and Timaru for almost 20 years.
He said if the Government gave the go ahead for exports to Saudi Arabia to resume, his company could quickly organise a shipment.
Until 2003, he exported adult awassi sheep from Hawke's Bay for nearly 20 years through the Hamoud al-Khalaf Trading and Transportation Est company, based at the Saudi port of Dammam.
But Federated Farmers last night warned of concerns for animal welfare if shipments resumed.
"Ethical treatment of sheep needs to be the top concern of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry if live farm animals are to be exported," the federation said.
Saudi Arabia last year called on the New Zealand Government to exempt the kingdom from the welfare ban on live sheep shipments.
The head of a Saudi Arabian ministerial commission which visited New Zealand last year, Fahad Balghunaim, said the kingdom had a real need for live animals, particularly during the Haj (annual pilgrimage) season when Muslims sacrificed livestock.
But the then agriculture minister, Jim Anderton, had warned that trade in livestock exports for slaughter created risks to New Zealand's reputation as a responsible exporter and could be costly if something went wrong.
New Zealand prohibited the export of sheep, cattle, deer and goats for slaughter, except where the risks can be managed to an "acceptable level". Officials can ban livestock exports for slaughter trade through a customs exports prohibition order, which also allows for individual consignments to be approved on a case-by-case basis.
Agriculture Minister David Carter said today the National Party-led Government intended ending the moratorium but it would have to be assured the animals were properly treated.
Mr Assaf's Awassi Ltd had a Tikokino stud breeding fat-tailed awassi sheep specifically for the Saudi trade, and planned to send 70,000 live sheep through the Port of Napier for slaughter in the Middle East when the trade was interrupted.
But in 2003 , an 11-week journey of Australian sheep on MV Cormo Express killed 5000 of them and another 43,000 spent two months sailing the Persian Gulf after the ship was refused permission to unload in Saudi Arabia.
The Cormo Express debacle cost the Australian government and the nation's live export industry an estimated $A10 million in a public relations and trade disaster.
The incident made headlines internationally and raised questions over how future shippers could guarantee animal welfare.
NZPA