Changing government policy a key concern for WA farmers

Farmers in Western Australia have a very different set of concerns to those in the rest of the country.

Sheep awaiting live export at Peel Feedlot in Mardella, WA. Picture: Philip Gostelow

Federal and state government meddling has opened a schism between farmers in the country’s east and in Western Australia, where industry-altering policies have been identified as the agriculture sector’s biggest concern.

Economic uncertainty and global conditions topped the list of issues facing the nation’s farmers except in WA, where government policies ranked as the key concern in a recent survey.

Almost 50 per cent of more than 1000 Australian farmers surveyed in a Roy Morgan poll during June and July found the uncertain economic climate and rising cost of doing business were the biggest challenges. Other key issues were the weather (20 per cent), worker shortages (13 per cent), government policy (12 per cent), rising interest rates (10 per cent), financial viability (9 per cent), climate change (8 per cent), natural disasters (5 per cent) and biosecurity (5 per cent).

Farmers in WA, where there have been protests against the state’s Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation and the federal government’s pledge to ban live sheep exports, say government policy is the biggest concern.

In that state, 41 per cent listed government policy as their key challenge, significantly more than in the rest of the country.

John Hassell, president of advocacy group WA Farmers, said the survey results reflected the concerns of the group’s members.

“I think there's an avalanche of stuff coming at us,” Mr Hassell said.

“The big problem is that governments just look at us as though we’re a cash cow.”

The recently dumped Aboriginal cultural heritage laws sent jitters through the state farming sector, which feared excessive red-tape would have hindered food production.

Poor sheep prices in WA have been partly attributed to a massive decline in industry confidence brought on by the Albanese government’s moves to scrap the live sheep export trade, which operates mostly out of WA.

“The closure of the live sheep trade is a major (concern) for WA growers,” Mr Hassell said.

“It’s having a serious impact on the price of sheep at the moment and we’ve got a bad season.

“Unfortunately, I think it’s heading down the path of an animal welfare crisis.”

Mr Hassell also cited the federal government’s biosecurity tax on farmers, a heavy vehicle road user charge and changes to superannuation law as other policy changes causing angst.

Roy Morgan chief executive officer Michele Levine said the agribusiness sector had not been immune from economic challenges over the past 12 months.

“Farmers are struggling with the increased cost of doing business, stemming from supply chain issues and interest rate increases,” she said.

Sentiment surveys have shown nearly half of all WA sheep producers intend to reduce their ewe flock within the next year.