Live-ex lays out its stats: Volumes, value, voyage lengths and mortality rates

For sheep, the mortality rate was 0.18pc, which is 81pc lower than a decade ago.

This is the latest live-ex mortality regulatory data available and was part of a comprehensive report on Australia's livestock export business, collated by research and development corporation LiveCorp.

The State of the Industry Report is billed as a one-stop shop for facts and figures about live-ex.

It will be released annually in response to research into community sentiment about livestock exports that demonstrated people wanted to know more about how the industry works.

While mortality rates from other livestock sectors are not reported as regularly or comprehensively, the livestock export industry compares favourably to data that is publicly available. For instance, the average daily shipboard mortality rate for sheep in 2023 was 0.0062pc, the lowest on record. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Science's farm survey reported a sheep mortality rate of 4.5pc in 2019-20, which equates to a daily mortality rate of 0.0123pc.

The total number of livestock exported last year was 1,324,141, valued at more than $1.03 billion. That was an 18pc lift in volume on the previous year.

Cattle volumes were up 6pc and sheep volumes were up 30pc compared to 2022. However the overall value of the shipments was lower for both, given the decrease in livestock markets.

Goat volumes were up a massive 193pc, although only 14,331 head were exported, which is very small compared to the numbers of sheep and cattle, both of which were in the 600,000s.

Of the 267 consignments of sheep and cattle sent by sea, 84pc went to South East Asia - primarily beef cattle from northern Australia to Indonesia and Vietnam. The average length of voyages to South East Asia was 8.6 days.

Another 7pc went to North Asia, primarily dairy cattle from southern Australia to China. The average length of voyages to North Asia was 18.9 days.

And 9pc went to the Middle East, primarily sheep from Western Australia to Kuwait and Israel. The average length of those voyages was 21.2 days.

Livestock exported by air made up 3pc, or 40,594 head, of the total number of exports in 2023. These consignments included a small number of alpacas, llamas and camels.

LiveCorp chief executive officer Wayne Collier said since his organisation started doing community sentiment surveys in 2019, there had been strong recognition of the industry's contribution to regional communities in Australia and to food security overseas.

"However, there have also been questions about what happens on ships and in destination markets, especially when it comes to animal welfare," he said.

This report is designed to provide that information.

Troy Setter, chief executive officer of big live export cattle supplier CPC, which also owns feedlots in Indonesia, told audiences at Beef Australia in Rockhampton this month that animal welfare was "a given" in terms of what customers expected.

Mr Setter also spoke about how the traditional wet market in South East Asia was continuing to grow.

While convenience retail, such as online, had certainly shown massive growth in places like Indonesia, it was still nowhere near the size of the wet market custom, he said.

"There is a real connection and trust in wet markets from the consumer's perspective and often they have a family connection with the butcher," Mr Setter said.