Australian Government-accredited veterinarian Renee Willis.

THE unique perspectives of the professionals who work on board livestock export vessels in animal welfare roles will be shared at this week’s LIVEXchange 2017 conference in Perth.

Australian Government-accredited veterinarian Renee Willis, and experienced industry stockmen, Richard Leitch and Ben Giblett will participate in a session designed to provide a rare glimpse into their vital shipboard duties.

The segment will be part of the Meat & Livestock Australia/LiveCorp Producer Briefing Forum, which kicks of the LIVEXchange program on Wednesday November 15.

Dr Willis said she was looking forward to the Q&A session about the on-board life of a vet or stockperson.

“Accredited vets and stockies play a vital role in the livestock export supply chain; however when we are working with livestock on board ships we are usually isolated from the normal channels of communication,” Dr Willis said.

“So LIVEXchange will be a good opportunity to open-up a conversation about our role in the industry, to answer some queries and to hear some feedback.

“Increasing communications across all levels of the supply chain will help to achieve better results in terms of productivity, management and welfare.”

LiveCorp chief executive officer Sam Brown said the session was part of a broader strategy to ensure accredited professionals who work on-board in livestock welfare are prominent in industry discussions.

“In addition to the Q&A session about life on board a livestock vessel, we are holding a special research, development and extension meeting with AAVs next week to coincide with LIVEXchange,” he said.

“These discussions build on the very productive engagement industry has had with AAVs, particularly over the past 12 months, via both a formal consultation workshop and a number of one-on-one consultation meetings.”

Mr Brown said AAVs and stockpersons play an important role in Australia’s livestock export industry, because they are responsible for the health and welfare of livestock on board livestock vessels, as well as meeting a number of reporting requirements under the Australian Standard for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) and the Export Control (Animals) Order 2004.

“It is important that we utilise the available knowledge and experience offered by AAVs and stockpersons to inform animal welfare improvements throughout the livestock export process, especially during ocean transport.”

LIVEXchange is the biennial conference for the Australian livestock export industry and will be held in Perth from November 15-16. The theme of LIVEXchange 2017 is “Taking stock: (business) adaptability, (industry) sustainability and (community) accountability”.

For further details or to register for LIVEXchange 2017, visit: www.livexchangeconference.com.au

Sheep Central’s Terry Sim will be reporting from #LIVEXchange 2017 in Perth this week.