The federal government is destroying Australia’s livestock industry.
The Saturday announcement that a ticking time bomb has been placed on live export has the whole agricultural industry feeling disappointed, angry, hurt. The fact that we knew it was coming doesn’t make it any better, for anyone.
The federal agriculture minister, Murray Watt made the announcement on Saturday, an appropriate day for a huge announcement like this, wouldn’t you say? Australia’s live export trade will officially end on May 1, 2028. Watt quietly slipped himself into WA to take us by surprise. In the middle of a dry season, in the middle of seeding.
In his announcement, Watt referred to data that had been sourced by the RSPCA, stating that 71% of West Australians support the policy, but do those 71% actually understand live export? I’m inclined to say no because if they did, they wouldn’t be supporting this gross attempt at securing more votes for Labor.
He went on to say that legislating the date would give allow producers and the supply chain to enable “an orderly and well-planned transition away from the trade.” What he should have said is that within the next four years, families are going to be broken, sheep are going to be killed, regional communities are going to be torn apart, family farms will shut down, people are going to lose their jobs, businesses are going to close their doors, mental health is going to decline, a $77 million industry is going to fall down around us.
“I want the WA sheep industry to thrive and grow into the future.” No, you don’t. You are an agriculture minister who does not care about the industry they are supposed to be serving. The end of live export will not help the industry to thrive and grow, it will be detrimental, it already is detrimental to the industry. The federal government is destroying Australia’s livestock industry.
The RSPCA responded that this was “the right decision” and that industry is “cruel and unfixable.” It wasn’t then, but it will be once the high standards of animal welfare that Australia has implemented are no longer. Australia is the only country exporting live animals that has regulations around the standards of animal welfare in other countries, and that invests in training and auditing to continually ensure that the standards are being met. Without us, there is nothing in place to protect those animals, and consequently the end receiver. What about the sheep we are now having to shoot and bury? Wouldn’t they have been better off on a ship to another country rather than buried in mass graves?
The announcement was paired with a five-year, $107 million “transition package” to “support” the industry.
$64.6 million has been allocated to assist sheep producers with “capitalising on existing and emerging opportunities so that they are well-positioned when the trade ends” There is no position that is going to end well for us. The government can give as much money as it wants to transition to on-shore markets, but the reality is, they don’t have the capacity now, they sure as hell won’t have the capacity with no boats leaving the port.
A portion of the above money will be allocated to mental health support for those who will be impacted by the phase-out. By “a portion” we mean an unknown amount because Watt’s response when asked how much would go directly to the issue was that further information would be available in the “middle of the year”. The agriculture industry is copping it in all directions, a “portion” of the money for mental health is nothing but a drop in a very big ocean. Why not pile on more stressors to communities that are already suffering, but also have low access to mental health support? The rate of suicide is already nearly double that in the regions compared to in the cities in Australia, this is one way to increase that rate.
$27 million will be spent domestically and internationally to “market sheep products” including market analyses, consumer studies, product promotion and building business relationships.
$2.6 million has been allocated to “improving sheep welfare standards so that they meet community expectations.” Perhaps that $2.6 million could be spent educating the public that our animal welfare standards are already world-class and that their activism against live export has dire consequences.
$1.7 million is for the appointment of a transition advocate to facilitate communication between industry and government. Ie. this person has to pretend that the federal government gives one single care about the agricultural industry.
And $11.1 million will be for the actual implementation of the phase-out
“This is a comprehensive package that will assist to strengthen supply chains, develop market opportunities and improve animal welfare… Processing sheep here in Australia adds value locally, supports increased farm gate returns and creates local jobs.” It won’t.
This decision is going to have catastrophic consequences and should be reversed, it won’t be, but it should b
