Prices of sheep in the Kingdom are likely to go down 30 percent when Australia resumes sheep exports to Saudi ports. The two countries soon will sign a memorandum of understanding to facilitate livestock trade. Muhammad Al-Sheiha, assistant agriculture minister for livestock affairs, said the new memorandum, which allows Australia to export sheep directly to Saudi ports, was in the final stage. "We have done our part for the resumption of Australian sheep exports to the Kingdom," Al-Riyadh Arabic daily quoted the Saudi official as saying. "We are now waiting for the Australian Agriculture Ministry to complete its procedures." Canberra already submitted draft guidelines for the resumption of livestock trade with the Kingdom. "This draft document, which is still to be finalized with the Gulf countries including the Kingdom, will ensure a greater degree of transparency and predictability and will help facilitate the livestock trade," said Australian Ambassador Robert Tyson.
