Simmonds PennyPENNY SIMMONDS (National—Invercargill): Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise to speak in opposition of the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill which seeks to allow this Government to ban the export of livestock cattle deer sheep and goats by sea—taking effect 30 April 2023.Like many others I do want to acknowledge the families who lost loved ones in the Gulf Livestock 1. In particular I want to acknowledge the Bellerby family from Southland who lost their son and brother Lochie Bellerby in this tragic maritime accident. From the review that resulted from this maritime tragedy there were two approaches that this Government could have taken. The first one was to continue the trade but with stronger regulations maintaining strong animal welfare standards and enhancing New Zealand's long-term trade relations. Now National obviously agrees with that approach—a gold standard with changes to perhaps stocking density increases in reporting from vets increases in minimum fodder requirements things that could have made a real difference to animal welfare. But instead of working with the primary industry on a complex issue to bring about workable solutions this Government chooses to ban it. To shut off $261 million of revenue and the wider financial implications for the rural sector. I guess throwing away $260 million is nothing to a Government that wastes billions. So it meant nothing to them.The issue here is that this Government has taken the lazy way out. They wouldn't sit down and work with the primary sector. They wouldn't try and work to save a source of revenue for this country and they wouldn't try and improve animal welfare by doing things that took a little bit more time. Because if we don't do it here in New Zealand we can close our eyes and it's obviously not going to be happening anywhere else. So the Primary Production Committee ignored science ignored evidence from cattle breeders from vets from experts in the export industry.This virtue signalling isn't new to this Government. Let's have a look at the pork industry where such stringent animal welfare regulations have been put in place that now we import 60 percent of the pork that we eat in this country. Sixty percent of the pork that is eaten in this country is imported from countries that have lesser animal welfare standards than we do. So closing your eyes and saying it's not happening here it's not a problem in the world anymore just isn't the case. It is absolute nimbyism—It's not happening in my backyard." Last night we had the pastoral lease amendment bill and when we started talking about the high country farming families we heard laughing and scoffing from the other side of the House. They scoffed at any anguish that was causing to those high country farmers. Well I want to read some excerpts from an email that was sent to me from one of my constituents. And I may not get it all read and I apologise to them. It goes: "Live exports what it means to us. Here on the farm the ability to live export is important to us both financially and more importantly emotionally. Each year we sell about 70 jersey heifers and they go to China. Without this market those very heifers have no future. Here is the choice for our spring-born surplus heifers: we could sell them on the bobby calf truck at four days of age."—probably on the other side of the House they don't know what bobby calves are they are calves four days old—"We would get income less than the cost of the milk they drank in the four days. It's horrific to think that animals of four days of age should be killed to save them from a life as a profitable breeding cow in a sophisticated operation in China." I could go on but obviously I haven't got time. But we oppose the—[Time expired]ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Order! Order! Jamie Strange."