Morocco Seeks Australian Livestock Amid Severe Drought-Induced Meat Shortage

In the absence of its traditional livestock suppliers in the Middle East and Africa, also facing water shortages and climate change, Morocco is calling on Australia. In a statement to the Australian media ABC, Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt says he "received a request from Morocco to initiate negotiations for the import of livestock from Australia, including the proposed terms for trade." But the current conditions of the Australian market are not ideal. "We have highlighted that there are a number of factors that we would need to overcome to get there and we don’t see any short or medium-term opportunity to address that [...], in the unlikely event that there was a longer-term opportunity, it might be worth considering, but at this stage, it doesn’t seem to be the case," said Murray Frangs, Managing Director of Rural Export and Trading WA.

The Australian official is notably referring to the Australian Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS), which requires exporting countries to be accredited under its system to ensure adequate facilities and processes for the transport of live animals. Australia also maintains its plans to ban live sheep exports by sea. On the other hand, there is the application by Morocco of 200% customs duties on livestock imports, a disadvantageous measure for the Australian market.