SYDNEY, 5 December 2003 — Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile headed to the Gulf yesterday intending to talk to Saudi officials about a recent fiasco involving a shipment of 52,000 Australian sheep that the Kingdom rejected.
Vaile said he would discuss a range of trade and other issues with senior officials in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates during the week-long trip.
But the most delicate stop will be in Saudi Arabia, which in August refused to unload the 52,000 Australian sheep sold to a Saudi merchant because an unacceptably large number were infected with scabby mouth disease. The disease can be transferred to humans.
But Australian veterinarians insisted the sheep were healthy and Canberra halted all livestock shipments to Saudi Arabia.
The sheep remained stranded on the ship MV Cormo Express for 70 days as dozens of other governments in the Gulf and beyond refused to take the animals.
The plight of the “ship of death” drew worldwide media coverage until Australia finally paid the poor African nation of Eritrea to take the animals.
The incident badly damaged the image of Australia’s multibillion-dollar livestock trade and Vaile said he did not want to see a repeat.
“I will deliver a clear message that Australia is not willing to see a repeat of the MV Cormo Express incident,” Vaile was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. “Trade in livestock must take place on a transparent and predictable basis.”
For the rest of his tour, Vaile said he would be promoting Australian companies across a range of sectors. The minister will also raise Australia’s role as a global supplier of commodities including livestock. “Australia remains committed to the trade in livestock on certain agreed conditions,” he said.
In the United Arab Emirates, Vaile said he would discuss the possibility of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
“An FTA with the UAE that removes barriers to trade and investment across the board promises to deliver substantial benefits for Australia,” he said.
In 2002-2003, combined Australian trade with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE totaled about $4.4 billion.
Australian exports to the region included aircraft, ships, passenger motor vehicles, wheat, livestock, dairy products and vegetables.
