Live trade FAQs

David Galvin
Former ALEC Chairman

Q: What does livestock export involve?

Livestock exporting involves the transport of live animals by sea and air from Australia to destination markets.

It’s a highly regulated process which ensures operational professionalism, supply chain integrity and optimal animal welfare performance.

The entire livestock export supply chain from on-farm preparation to point of slaughter is regulated and controlled by the Australian Government under two main regulatory systems - the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) and the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS).

Under these systems, exporters and supply chain participants must comply with a range of strict requirements associated with licencing, quarantine, biosecurity, professional training, maritime regulation, animal welfare during land, sea and air transport, slaughter, in-market training and reporting.

Exporters’ livelihoods depend on producing healthy and content livestock and meeting community expectations around animal welfare. Ensuring good animal health and welfare during the live export process means that livestock:

1. Have been assessed by a veterinarian and are fit to travel.
2. Are provided with appropriate food, water, ventilation, bedding and protection from adverse weather for the duration of the voyage.
3. Are cared for around the clock by LiveCorp accredited stock people and the ship’s crew. During long-haul voyages, an Australian Government accredited veterinarian is also present.

Once the animals leave Australia, Australian exporters accept the responsibility of ensuring the welfare of slaughter/feeder livestock through to the point of slaughter. That means Australian exporters, even after animals are discharged and sold, continue to trace animals, train staff and upgrade facilities along supply chains to the point of slaughter. Exporter and facility standards are independently audited by accredited international audit companies to Australian livestock export standards. These are higher than the international animal welfare standards.

Australia is the only country to have made this a requirement of trade.

Q: What's involved in a sea voyage?

Livestock travel safely in custom vessels and in most cases will even put on weight during their voyage. Livestock will adapt to their new environment within the first day or so and start to settle into a consistent routine.

There are strict regulations around the number and type of staff dedicated to looking after livestock on ships, and the welfare of the cattle and sheep is monitored both day and night.

All ships must have at least one LiveCorp Accredited Stockperson on board and longer voyages will also have an Australian Accredited Veterinarian. They are supported by a number of competent stock handlers and many of the ship’s crew are there purely to care for the livestock.

The stock handlers and vets do several rounds a day to check on the animals and a crew member checks food and water through the night. Special ‘hospital pens’ are set up for animals that are injured or not eating, and there are medical supplies on board to treat common illnesses.

There is normally fresh food and water waiting in the ship’s pens when animals are loaded, or it is provided shortly afterwards.

Water is provided constantly, with most ships having a desalination plant on board. The troughs are checked and cleaned several times a day.

Fresh food is distributed at least twice a day. It comes in pellet form, along with chaff or hay. Animals have an opportunity to become accustomed to the feed before boarding the ship as they spend several days in a feedlot known as a Registered Establishment.

There are significant differences between road and sea transport of livestock. Livestock are usually on trucks for relatively short periods. Being close together helps them to stay on their feet around corners given they can’t ‘hang on’. It also stops them lying down, which could see them injured.

There is significantly more room on a ship, which provides the cattle and sheep with enough space to move around, access the feed and water troughs and lie down at will. Live export ships are often called ‘floating feedlots’ as it is a similar set-up.

Q: Why does Australia export live animals?

Australia has a long history of exporting livestock and is widely respected as a consistent, reliable supplier of high quality, healthy livestock that are well suited to local conditions and consumer preferences.

Import requirements are driven by a mix of food security needs, agricultural development goals, cultural preferences and commercial demand.

Key factors driving demand for Australian live animal exports include:

Proximity to markets: particularly across Southeast Asia as well as the Middle East.

Animal health and biosecurity standards: Australia is recognised internationally for its world-class animal health controls, disease-free status and traceability systems. This reduces biosecurity risks for importing countries.

Food security and global nutrition: Australian live exports provide reliable and affordable access to quality protein. Many importing countries have rapidly growing populations and rising incomes, increasing demand for meat, milk and other animal proteins. Domestic livestock industries in some regions cannot produce enough food to meet demand due to limitations in land, water, climate or feed availability. Australian livestock imports help fill these supply gaps.

Demand for fresh meat and local processing: In many markets, consumers prefer freshly slaughtered meat to frozen imported product. Importing live animals allows livestock to be processed locally according to cultural, religious and consumer preferences, including halal requirements. This is particularly important in countries where wet markets and freshly prepared meat remain central to food distribution systems.

Reliable year-round supply: Australia has extensive cattle production systems and export infrastructure capable of supplying consistent volumes over long periods, which is important for governments, processors and feedlots overseas.

Supporting agricultural development: Some countries import Australian beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep and goats for breeding purposes to improve the productivity, genetics and resilience of their own agricultural sectors. Australian cattle, sheep and goats are selected for traits such as:

1. heat tolerance
2. fertility
3. milk production
4. feed efficiency
5. growth rates
6. adaptability to harsh environments

These genetics can significantly improve local herd performance and support broader agricultural development goals.

Support for local industries overseas: Live cattle imports create employment and economic activity in importing countries through feedlots, transport, processing, retail and associated services. The Australian live export industry also supports local capacity building programs in animal welfare, husbandry and handling.

Q: How does live animal export benefit Australia?

Significantly more cattle, sheep and goats are produced in Australia than are required by the domestic market. Exports are therefore an important part of Australia’s livestock industry. While most of the excess production is exported as chilled or frozen beef, lamb, mutton and goat meat, having the ability to export animals live from Australia is critical.

Live export supports more than 13,000 jobs across Australia, primarily in regional, rural and Indigenous communities. These range from station hands, transporters, stock agents, rural merchandisers and veterinary services to local grocery stores, cafes, schools and health services.

It is a key driver of sustainable economic opportunities in regional, rural and Indigenous communities with producers retaining approximately 40-57% of the revenue generated in Australia by live cattle exports.

Live export is a critical industry for northern Australia, providing market options for producers where alternative markets are limited. The extensive northern pastoral systems are ideally suited to breeding rather than finishing and, in most cases are located long distances from domestic feedlots and abattoirs. Exporting to countries like Indonesia provides a viable market option for Australian livestock producers and a readily available, well-located supply of animals to meet demand from Indonesian lot feeders and consumers.

Live export accounts for approximately 70% of cattle sales in northern Western Australia, and more than 90% in parts of the Northern Territory.

Q: What kind of animals does Australia export live?

Australia exports livestock to more than 20 countries, with major markets including Indonesia, Kuwait, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Philippines.

Exports include cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats for feeder, slaughter, breeding and dairy purposes. Small numbers of camels, alpacas and deer are also exported.

Feeder animals are younger and lighter animals that spend time in a feedlot to gain weight before being slaughtered.

Slaughter animals are heavier livestock that are already at a suitable weight for processing at an abattoir. What might be deemed a suitable slaughter weight varies between Australia and our import markets.

Q: What types of slaughter methods are used in overseas abattoirs?

There are almost 600 abattoirs that have been approved to slaughter Australian livestock under the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) standards.

Australian livestock must only be slaughtered in these approved facilities. Slaughter in facilities that are not approved is a breach of ESCAS and can result in strict conditions or restrictions being placed on Australian exporters.

Abattoirs range from large, modern and newly constructed facilities that process large numbers of livestock to small, family-run operations that process only a couple of head per night to service local communities. Some facilities have multiple slaughter lines with several butcher teams working at the same time. Others are more simple facilities that only have one slaughter line.

The proportion of exported livestock that are stunned prior to slaughter has increased significantly over the years. Stunning involves rendering an animal unconscious using special equipment so the animal can’t feel pain.

In the case of Indonesia, our most important market, around 95% of Australian cattle are stunned pre-slaughter, up from less than 10% in 2011.

ALEC’s policy is to encourage the use of stunning prior to slaughter.