February 14-2014
Iran appears likely to begin importing live sheep from Australia for the first time in a third of a century.
The Shah started a major trade with Iran importing live sheep that were then slaughtered in Iran and the mutton distributed throughout the country. But the Islamic Republic halted the trade shortly after the war with Iraq erupted, apparently because of problems at ports.
Imports of frozen Australian mutton have continued, with Iranian mullahs going to Australia to see that the slaughtering is done according to Islamic law.
Iran has showed an interest in the last year in resuming live lamb imports from Australia. Australia’s new agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, says he has main it a priority to wrap up such a deal as quickly as possible.
There may be opposition from inside Iran from ideologues who greatly fear becoming dependent on food imports. And there already is opposition within Australia from animal rights groups who say Middle Eastern slaughtering methods are cruel.
Australian industry sources have said Iran wants about 1.3 million sheep a year and Bahrain up to 400,000.
Australia has its own sanctions on trade with Iran, but, like all other such sanctions, they exempt food and medicine, so they do not enter into the sheep trade.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said negotiations with Iran have progressed to the stage of drafting animal health certification requirements.
Joyce is dismissive of critics of his attempts to boost live exports despite a string of recent investigations into alleged breaches of animal welfare and supply chain regulations in the Middle East.
“I must be going all right because every day I open my inbox and there are hundreds of people who hate my guts, predominately animal activists,” he said.
