Live sheep exports thrust into federal election battle

Animal welfare activists will target marginal seats in Western Australia and around the country over plans to reverse Labor’s live sheep export ban.

The famous Giant Ram outside the town of Wagin in Western Australia's wheatbelt has been draped with a Keep the Sheep banner in protest against the Albanese government's live export ban. Picture: Charlie Peel

Live sheep exports have been thrust to the fore of the West Australian battlefront in the upcoming federal election, with rival groups at war over whether the Albanese government’s controversial ban should be scrapped.

In response to the farmer-led Keep the Sheep movement, which has led rallies in Canberra and throughout WA in the past six months, animal welfare groups on Friday launched the Keep the Sheep Here campaign.

Both groups will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising in marginal WA electorates, where voters swung towards Labor in 2022, as well as close-run seats in other states.

The Albanese government last year announced it would ban live sheep exports by sea from May 2028 over animal welfare concerns. WA sheep farmers say that destroying the legitimate industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars is an insult after years spent cleaning up the trade, and the Nationals have said any ­ Coalition government they are part of would overturn the ban.

With advertisements featuring distressed livestock, the Keep the Sheep Here campaign will target Hasluck (margin 6 per cent), Bullwinkel (new seat) and Tangney (2.38 per cent) in WA, Sturt (0.45 per cent) in South Australia, Menzies (0.68 per cent) and Casey (1.48 per cent) in Victoria, Wentworth (5.92 per cent) in NSW, and Ryan (2.42 per cent) in Queensland.

The target electorates could be expanded to pressure Liberal candidates to speak out against live exports, Alliance for Animals’ policy director Jed Goodfellow said.

“It’s disappointing the Nationals are backing this cruel and dying trade, but we know there are many within the Liberal Party who support animal welfare and will be happy to see it end,” Dr Goodfellow said.

WA sheep farmers at a House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture inquiry on the live exports ban. Picture: Josh Fernandes

“We hope this campaign will empower them to speak out within their party and make it clear that keeping this outdated trade alive is not only a bad decision for animals, it’s not a vote winner.”

Stop Live Exports WA spokeswoman Ruth Gourley said the group would “make sure people across the country are fully aware of where all parties and candidates stand on this brutal and unnecessary trade”.

A spokesman from the farmer-led Keep the Sheep campaign ­disputed the rival group’s “inaccurate” representation of the live export trade and said its establishment showed they were worried there was a “very real prospect” of the ban being overturned.

“Imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” the spokesman said.

“It’s clear these groups based outside of WA are looking on with envy at the success of the Keep the Sheep campaign and are worried about the real impact it is having on voters in WA. Fortunately, we know WA voters are wise to these tactics and know Keep the Sheep is backed by WA farmers, sheep breeders, truckies, shearers, local governments, and their communities.