Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): This morning, I announced that the export of livestock by sea will cease, following a transition period of up to two years. The export of livestock from New Zealand has been a feature of our farming systems for a long time, but concerns about the risks to New Zealand's reputation from this trade have been steadily increasing, which is why in 2019 we began a review of livestock exports. The tragic sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1 ship in 2020 with the loss of 40 lives and many thousands of livestock brought those dangers to a head, and we introduced a temporary ban on livestock exports while the Heron review recommended improvements to our system. Although many of these have been implemented, there remains an ongoing level of concern with the welfare of these animals while at sea for up to three weeks. This Government had to act and it has done.