Farming lobby groups say legislation to end live sheep exports by 2028 sets a “concerning precedent” for other agricultural export markets.
The comment was made at the first of two public hearings into legislation to phase out live sheep exports by 2028. The snap inquiry was called on 3 June after the agriculture minister, Murray Watt, introduced the legislation to parliament and is due to report by 21 June. It has already received 89 submissions.
The second day of hearings will be held in Western Australia, the only state where live sheep export ships still operate, on Friday.
“All agricultural industries are at risk if political and activist agendas are allowed to undermine their future,” Alastair James from the Red Meat Advisory Council told the inquiry.
The inquiry heard from industry groups including exporters who are fiercely critical of the proposed ban, and then from groups including the RSPCA, Vets Against Live Export and the Australian Alliance for Animals which support the ban.
Sheep producers repeated their opposition to the bill, saying it would decimate the industry.
Jo Hall from Wool Producers Australia said the policy was “an election promise based on ideology and emotion rather than facts”, and called for the decision to be reversed.
“The government’s decision is simply not based on science or evidence, given the live sheep export industry has shown demonstrable improvements across their sector in the past five years,” she said.
Earlier, the inquiry heard mortality rates on live sheep export ships had dropped significantly since 2017, when more than 2,000 sheep died from heat stress while on a ship from Australia to the Middle East. The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, then the agriculture minister, said at the time that he was “shocked and gutted” by footage of conditions on the ship, calling it “total bullshit”.
The reduced mortality has been attributed by the industry and animal welfare groups alike to changes imposed on the industry by government in response to that incident, which included lower stocking densities, a new measure of heat stress, and a ban on trade during the Middle Eastern summer, the highest-risk time for mortalities due to excessive heat.
The Australian Veterinary Association said that while welfare conditions had improved, the number of animals experiencing health issues was still unacceptable.
“We’re still seeing unacceptable rates of heat stress, gastrointestinal diseases … there are welfare issues that remain, and they remain of concern,” the AVA’s Dr Melanie Latter told the inquiry on Wednesday.
Bonnie Skinner from Sheep Producer’s Australia said the $107m transition package promised by the Albanese government to support the industry was “inadequate.”
“This package is not going to be sufficient … it’s still not clear to us where the $107 million has come from but it is not enough,” Skinner said.
Labor has repeatedly said the ban will not be extended to the live cattle trade.
But Cattle Australia and the Red Meat Advisory Council, which do not support the ban on the live sheep trade, said they remained concerned.
“This approach risks shutting down industries based on emotion or ideology, setting a dangerous precedent and creating sovereign risk for livestock and other agricultural sectors,” Chris Parker from Cattle Australia said.
Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chair David Galvin said the ban had been “rejected from every agricultural group in Australia”.
“We expect this hearing to be a complete waste of time, and the recommendation to pass legislation from the committee is a fait accompli,” he said.
Labor took the policy to ban live export to the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. The ban is also supported by the Greens and a number of independent MPs.
The inquiry heard that details on support programs to help WA farmers transition out of the live sheep export trade would be available in the third quarter of 2024.
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