KHARTOUM, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Sudan announced Wednesday it has resumed shipping livestock, the country's main export, to Saudi Arabia after renewing a health protocol.

"Following intensive efforts, we have managed to begin shipping the sheep prepared to be exported to Saudi Arabia," Al-Amir Jaafar, Sudanese undersecretary for animal resources and fisheries said in a statement.

"The health measures adopted by the ministry were convincing to the Saudi side," Jaafar said, adding that the measures cover animal health, cross-border disease control, and epidemiological surveys.

Sudan's livestock exports to Saudi Arabia were halted in January after the Sudanese Animal Resources Ministry and the Saudi side failed to agree on quarantine requirements.

Sudan boasts more than 107 million head of cattle, with livestock exports being a major source of foreign exchange, bringing in about 1 billion U.S. dollars in revenue, according to government statistics.