Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) records show there were 31,362 live cattle exports out of Timaru in 2020, 20,044 in 2019, 7349 in 2018, 3068 in 2017, 13,124 in 2016 and 4394 in 2015. Toni deRooy, who led a series of Timaru protests against livestock exports, said she was specifically concerned about the phase out period.
Bejon Haswell/Stuff
Livestock export protester Toni deRooy leads a chant in Timaru on November 8, 2020. DeRooy, who has previously expressed concerns about conditions on board the ships and the manner in which the animals are killed said: “We would like the ban to be pretty much straight away, at least in the next couple of months”.
Bejon Haswell/Stuff
Robin Krause learns how to shear at the Elite Wool Industry Training Beginner Shearing course in Waimate this week.
Trainee shearers hope to take up some of the slack caused fromthe shortage of overseas shearers affected by Covid-19 border controls. While the New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association told
Stuff in 2017
between 10 and 15 per cent of shearing gangs comprised shearers from overseas, 60 overseas shearers are allowed into the country in 2021, through border exemptions between January to March to help ease the problem, according to Immigration New Zealand. Elite Wool Industry Training trainer Eli Cummings said while South Canterbury had not been badly affected by a shortage, he expected there would be a gap when the borders re-opened and Australian shearers here returned home.