❓ WA Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries responds to a question regarding the MV Cormo Express incident and its potential impact on Australia's quarantine regulations, stating it won't cause a permanent change but acknowledges the inherent risks of live export.
AnsweredQoN 1391Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I apologise for not giving notice of this question. I do not think my question will embarrass the minister; however, if it does, I am happy to ask it tomorrow. Given all the talk about the sheep on the MV Cormo Express being returned to Western Australian shores, does the minister foresee that this incident will result in a permanent change to Australia’s quarantine regulations in that animals from overseas will not be allowed to come into Australia? Hon KIM CHANCE
AnswerView source ↗
Specifically, the answer is no. That incident does not give rise to a permanent restructuring of Australian quarantine requirements or those of the Western Australian jurisdiction. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge, as the Western Australian Department of Agriculture did six or eight months ago, that while we engage in the live export industry we run such a risk. There is always the risk that a load will be rejected for a range of reasons. As I said, the Department of Agriculture anticipated this six to eight months ago and undertook quite a lot of planning so that we would be prepared for such an eventuality in Western Australia. The incident that the department thought may trigger such a situation has not happened. It was thought that a ship may reach, or almost reach, its destination at the same time as there was an outbreak of disease in Western Australia. Such an incident would render the quarantine certificate on those sheep invalid, thus requiring that they be returned. It is a possibility. In hindsight, and given the long history of the trade, it is a little surprising that this has never happened before. Hon Peter Foss: It has. I was involved in that particular case. Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Given all the talk about the sheep on the MV Cormo Express being returned to Western Australian shores, does the minister foresee that this incident will result in a permanent change to Australia’s quarantine regulations in that animals from overseas will not be allowed to come into Australia? Hon KIM CHANCE replied : Specifically, the answer is no. That incident does not give rise to a permanent restructuring of Australian quarantine requirements or those of the Western Australian jurisdiction. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge, as the Western Australian Department of Agriculture did six or eight months ago, that while we engage in the live export industry we run such a risk. There is always the risk that a load will be rejected for a range of reasons. As I said, the Department of Agriculture anticipated this six to eight months ago and undertook quite a lot of planning so that we would be prepared for such an eventuality in Western Australia. The incident that the department thought may trigger such a situation has not happened. It was thought that a ship may reach, or almost reach, its destination at the same time as there was an outbreak of disease in Western Australia. Such an incident would render the quarantine certificate on those sheep invalid, thus requiring that they be returned. It is a possibility. In hindsight, and given the long history of the trade, it is a little surprising that this has never happened before. Hon Peter Foss: It has. I was involved in that particular case. Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied : Specifically, the answer is no. That incident does not give rise to a permanent restructuring of Australian quarantine requirements or those of the Western Australian jurisdiction. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge, as the Western Australian Department of Agriculture did six or eight months ago, that while we engage in the live export industry we run such a risk. There is always the risk that a load will be rejected for a range of reasons. As I said, the Department of Agriculture anticipated this six to eight months ago and undertook quite a lot of planning so that we would be prepared for such an eventuality in Western Australia. The incident that the department thought may trigger such a situation has not happened. It was thought that a ship may reach, or almost reach, its destination at the same time as there was an outbreak of disease in Western Australia. Such an incident would render the quarantine certificate on those sheep invalid, thus requiring that they be returned. It is a possibility. In hindsight, and given the long history of the trade, it is a little surprising that this has never happened before. Hon Peter Foss: It has. I was involved in that particular case. Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Specifically, the answer is no. That incident does not give rise to a permanent restructuring of Australian quarantine requirements or those of the Western Australian jurisdiction. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge, as the Western Australian Department of Agriculture did six or eight months ago, that while we engage in the live export industry we run such a risk. There is always the risk that a load will be rejected for a range of reasons. As I said, the Department of Agriculture anticipated this six to eight months ago and undertook quite a lot of planning so that we would be prepared for such an eventuality in Western Australia. The incident that the department thought may trigger such a situation has not happened. It was thought that a ship may reach, or almost reach, its destination at the same time as there was an outbreak of disease in Western Australia. Such an incident would render the quarantine certificate on those sheep invalid, thus requiring that they be returned. It is a possibility. In hindsight, and given the long history of the trade, it is a little surprising that this has never happened before. Hon Peter Foss: It has. I was involved in that particular case. Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon Peter Foss: It has. I was involved in that particular case. Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Given all the talk about the sheep on the MV Cormo Express being returned to Western Australian shores, does the minister foresee that this incident will result in a permanent change to Australia’s quarantine regulations in that animals from overseas will not be allowed to come into Australia? Hon KIM CHANCE replied : Specifically, the answer is no. That incident does not give rise to a permanent restructuring of Australian quarantine requirements or those of the Western Australian jurisdiction. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge, as the Western Australian Department of Agriculture did six or eight months ago, that while we engage in the live export industry we run such a risk. There is always the risk that a load will be rejected for a range of reasons. As I said, the Department of Agriculture anticipated this six to eight months ago and undertook quite a lot of planning so that we would be prepared for such an eventuality in Western Australia. The incident that the department thought may trigger such a situation has not happened. It was thought that a ship may reach, or almost reach, its destination at the same time as there was an outbreak of disease in Western Australia. Such an incident would render the quarantine certificate on those sheep invalid, thus requiring that they be returned. It is a possibility. In hindsight, and given the long history of the trade, it is a little surprising that this has never happened before. Hon Peter Foss: It has. I was involved in that particular case. Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied : Specifically, the answer is no. That incident does not give rise to a permanent restructuring of Australian quarantine requirements or those of the Western Australian jurisdiction. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge, as the Western Australian Department of Agriculture did six or eight months ago, that while we engage in the live export industry we run such a risk. There is always the risk that a load will be rejected for a range of reasons. As I said, the Department of Agriculture anticipated this six to eight months ago and undertook quite a lot of planning so that we would be prepared for such an eventuality in Western Australia. The incident that the department thought may trigger such a situation has not happened. It was thought that a ship may reach, or almost reach, its destination at the same time as there was an outbreak of disease in Western Australia. Such an incident would render the quarantine certificate on those sheep invalid, thus requiring that they be returned. It is a possibility. In hindsight, and given the long history of the trade, it is a little surprising that this has never happened before. Hon Peter Foss: It has. I was involved in that particular case. Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Specifically, the answer is no. That incident does not give rise to a permanent restructuring of Australian quarantine requirements or those of the Western Australian jurisdiction. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge, as the Western Australian Department of Agriculture did six or eight months ago, that while we engage in the live export industry we run such a risk. There is always the risk that a load will be rejected for a range of reasons. As I said, the Department of Agriculture anticipated this six to eight months ago and undertook quite a lot of planning so that we would be prepared for such an eventuality in Western Australia. The incident that the department thought may trigger such a situation has not happened. It was thought that a ship may reach, or almost reach, its destination at the same time as there was an outbreak of disease in Western Australia. Such an incident would render the quarantine certificate on those sheep invalid, thus requiring that they be returned. It is a possibility. In hindsight, and given the long history of the trade, it is a little surprising that this has never happened before. Hon Peter Foss: It has. I was involved in that particular case. Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon Peter Foss: It has. I was involved in that particular case. Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon KIM CHANCE: In which a sheep ship returned? I was not aware of that. Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon Peter Foss: It did not come back, but it was rejected. Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
Hon KIM CHANCE: Yes, certainly the Saudis rejected some of our sheep 10 years ago, and it has happened on other occasions. However, I am not aware of any occasion on which sheep have been returned to Western Australia or anywhere in Australia. Certainly it is not intended that this incident will establish a precedent for the importation of animals from that region, and that is the context in which the member’s question was asked. There is a distinct difference between animals from that region and Australian animals that are shipped and returned but never unloaded. Even so, to the limited degree that the sheep on the Cormo Express may have been exposed to pests or diseases, an adequate risk evaluation process will have to be carried out. A large sample of the 52 000 sheep will have to be blood tested and that testing will have to be carried out at the Australian Animal Health Laboratories in Geelong. As a result of that testing, it could be that returning the sheep to Australia at this late stage is seen to be so risky as to be non-viable.
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