Australia’s Middle Eastern trading partners say a 50-year working relationship has been “thrown out the door” by the decision to end live sheep exports by sea.

Decades of exports to markets like Kuwait are set to end in 2028, after the Albanese government confirmed earlier this year the trade would cease.

It came as somewhat of a surprise to Kuwaiti officials, with tens of thousands of mostly West Australian sheep passing through the emirate to be sent across the Middle East.

The country’s state-backed importer and distributor Kuwait Livestock Transport and Trading Company (KLTT) has spoken out for the first time since the ban was announced.

Acting chief executive Ahmed Ayoub Al Majed said the ban would have a huge impact in the Middle East.

“We are really not very happy with this decision that Australia made,” he said.

Trade between the countries hit more than $500 million last year according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with Australia exporting sheep, barley, dairy and fruit, and importing petroleum products and fertiliser.

The federal government said the export frozen boxed meat would take the place of the live trade.

But while KLTT is now importing more boxed meat, Mr Al Majed said it was not what consumers wanted, or a practical choice for the region.

“I’m doing now chilled from Australia, but the demand is not matching,” Mr Al Majed said.

Live sheep to come from other markets

With or without Australia, the Middle East will continue to import live sheep.

KLTT has been sourcing animals from South Africa since 2018 and is looking to ramp up imports and explore options in other countries to fill the gap.

But Mr Al Majed said he did not believe any other country would be able to match Australia in terms of quality, efficiency, disease control, and meeting the specific type of sheep his markets required.

He said other Middle Eastern countries were looking to Sudan and Somalia to fill the gap in the trade — countries that he said had many issues when it came to farming, including drought and virus outbreaks among sheep.

Government says demand for processed meat rising

Globally, demand for Australian processed meat has increased.

According to a recent report, exports of sheep meat are 15 per cent higher for the year to date compared to last year.

“Sheepmeat exports are currently worth a whopping $4.5 billion a year, and growing,” federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said.

The federal government is now offering support, worth almost $140 million, for farmers affected by the phase-out of live exports.

Ms Collins said $27 million of the package would be put towards enhancing demand within Australia and internationally for Australian sheep products, including in Kuwait.

Food security and prices

Mr Al Majed said the amount of time the Australian government had allocated to transition away from the trade was not enough.

Australian sheep are considered a premium product to Middle Eastern consumers.

In one shipment, Australia can supply 75,000 sheep, and last year KLTT imported 400,000 head.

South Africa can provide 50,000 head at once but there was only one shipment received as of August this year.

Mr Al Majed said he feared KLTT would not have enough supply to meet demand for live sheep, and therefore would result in high prices and food insecurity.

“You have Australian sheep, the price will be stable … if you don’t, the price can jump very high,” he said.

Mr Majed said KLTT had invested millions of dollars in infrastructure to meet Australian standards.

“Our systems are designed only for carrying Australian livestock,” he said.

Global animal welfare

The driving force behind Labor’s decision to end the trade was concerns over animal welfare.

Mr Al Majed said of all the countries he had been in business with, Australia had the best animal welfare standards.

South Africa also had strong standards, he said, but lacked the same efficiency as Australian exporters.

Holly Ludeman is a veterinarian and compliance officer with Emanuel Exports, Australia’s biggest live sheep exporter.

Her job is to look after the animals on board and ensure they are healthy in compliance with Australian animal welfare standards.

“The best product for food security comes with high animal welfare standards, so how they manage here on farm, on the vessel and after discharge is critically important to have a good, safe food product.”