The Saudi Arabian Agriculture Minister wants the New Zealand Government to exempt the kingdom from a ban on live sheep shipments.
Fahad Balghunaim, in New Zealand as head of a Joint Ministerial Commission between Saudi Arabia and New Zealand, said the kingdom had a real need for live animals, particularly during the Haj (annual pilgrimage) season when Muslims sacrificed livestock, the Khaleej Times in Dubai reported.
His New Zealand counterpart, Jim Anderton, said last December that trade in livestock exports for slaughter creates risked to New Zealand's reputation as a responsible exporter and could be costly if something went wrong.
The Government decided to prohibit the export of sheep, cattle, deer and goats for slaughter, except where the risks could be managed to an "acceptable level", in which case it said could apply for an exemption.
It 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.
Until 2003, awassi adult sheep were exported from Hawke's Bay for nearly 20 years by the Hamoud al-Khalaf Trading and Transportation Est company, based at the Saudi port of Dammam.
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 incident made headlines internationally and raised questions over how shippers could guarantee animal welfare.
The minister was taken to Hawke's Bay on Thursday by George Assaf, of Awassi Ltd, a Tikokino stud breeding fat-tailed awassi sheep specifically for the Saudi trade, and is reported to have said it would be good to see those exports reintroduced.
"People's shopping habits are different and they prefer to buy live meat from the market rather than purchase meat at the supermarket," Mr Balghunaim told the Khaleej Times.
