A number of businessmen have sought the permission of the Ministry of Agriculture to allow them to save Australian camels by bringing them to the Kingdom. The ministry is, however, yet to take a decision. This is mainly thought to be due to the absence of an agreement on the transportation of camels between the two countries. The existing bilateral agreement restricts transportation to sheep and cows, Al-Watan newspaper reported.
Eng. Jaber Al-Shahri, undersecretary for livestock at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the ministry has no objections in importing Australian camels for slaughter as long as the Saudi Food and Drug Authority gives its okay.
“The import of camels from Australia is a matter that is still under discussion between the two sides and no decision has yet been taken,” he said, adding that the ministry is wary of taking a decision on importing wild camels, which may pose a danger not only to breeders but also to the public. “We also have to consider the health aspects of such livestock,” he said.
The Australian government earlier approached the ministry to facilitate the export of camels. This was after Canberra announced a culling program to reduce the growing numbers of camels in some regions of Australia and mitigate environmental pollution. Al-Shahri confirmed that the ministry had received applications from several investors seeking permission to import Australian camels.
On his part, businessman Hamoud Al-Khalaf noted that Australian camels are of Arabian origin. “Hence, they will easily adapt to the Saudi environment and temperature. Moreover, there would be tremendous response for this species in the local market,” he said.
Al-Khalaf has already set aside about $100 million to transport Australian camels into the Kingdom. “A cargo ship, costing $70 million, is being built in Singapore to import camels from Australia. The ship, the construction of which began early this year, has the capacity to carry 2,000 camels,” he said, adding that he will ensure all imports follow health regulations.
He added that there is an estimated two million camels in Australia. “The Australian government has frozen the decision to cull some one million camels. This was mainly because of the tremendous response it received from importers in Saudi Arabia and other GCC states,” he added.
Some Saudis earlier this year initiated an Internet campaign calling for the transportation of Australian camels to the Kingdom. The campaign followed an announcement by the Australian government that it would use helicopters and marksmen to corral and kill 6,000 feral camels in a small northern town. Days later, Australians welcomed the proposal. Problems began when camels caused chaos in the Northern Territory town of Docker River.