'$277 000 sheep bill could sink ship'

The High Court’s prohibition on the export of sheep until mid-July will cost Kuwaiti livestock export company Al Mawashi tens of millions of rands, which will drive it into liquidation and its holding company out of SA, the company claims in court papers. A Daily Dispatch report says Al Mawashi and its holding company, Livestock Transport and Trading Company (LTTC), are seeking to discharge or, alternatively, vary an interim Eastern Cape High Court (Makhanda) order (See ‘Stay of execution for 72 000 sheep’ in Legalbrief Today) in terms of which it was prohibited from exporting, by ship, any live animals from SA shores to the Middle East. The National Council of SPCAs successfully sought the interim order preventing this or any other export until mid-July when it will bring an urgent application to put a permanent stop to the export of live animals by sea – a practice it says is shockingly cruel and inhumane. Al Mawashi claims if it has to pay the $277 000 bill for feed and other maintenance costs of the sheep in the feedlot between now and mid-July, as well as the cost of the ship Al Messilah, sitting in the East London harbour, it is likely to go belly up. ‘Al Mawashi cannot afford this. It will drive Al Mawashi into liquidation and LTTC out of SA.’ It said it would settle for a variation on Judge Ndumiso Jaji’s order in terms of which it can transport just 56 000 sheep to the Middle East. If this is not permitted, it said it was unlikely to survive the losses it would suffer on this deal. The matter is now due to be argued on Friday.

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