Federal agriculture minister Julie Collins makes appearance at LambEx

The new federal agriculture minister’s brief appearance at LambEx has been criticised for failing to engage with industry on their concerns over the live sheep export phase out.

New federal agriculture minister Julie Collins’ brief appearance at LambEx in Adelaide this week has been criticised for failing to engage with industry on their concerns over the live export ban.

The Minister, who has been in the job for 10 days following a reshuffle, made a brief address to the trade site section of the event during one of the breaks.

But representatives from the Keep the Sheep Movement and the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council were at the event but not given opportunity to speak directly to the Minister.

This comes as sections of the sheep industry continue to reel from the planned ban on live sheep exports from sea.

ALEC chief executive officer Mark Harvey-Sutton said a “disappointing” that the Minister didn’t engage with the sector at the event, and there were “a lot of serious issues in the sheep industry at the moment, the highest of which is the ban on live sheep exports”.

“To me it shows a level of concern about the criticism that might come from the policy and lack of willingness to stand by their policy,” Mr Harvey-Sutton.

“We are seeking a full reversal of the policy, because it is wrong.

“It is pretty clear this is a policy that has come from the top down, this is a Labor government that is anti-sheep farming in WA.”

Minister Collins spent around 20 minutes walking the floor, posing for photographs and stopping to talk to trade site holders, including a couple of stud breeders, before retreating to a private room with staffers ahead of her address to the conference.

Media were prevented from asking questions of the minister.

In her address, Minister Collins said Australian farmers were “world leaders, just like our Olympians”, before inadvertently referred to the event as “LiveEx”, instead of LambEx, before quickly correcting herself.

“I am glad that I can make it here to the first LiveEx in quite a few years, LambEx,” she said.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins speaks to producers at LambEx. Pictures: Kate Dowler

Later in her speech she said: “I also want to acknowledge that our government’s decision to phase out live sheep exports by sea is not universally supported”.

“It is not a recent decision though, I need to be clear, this has been our policy since 2018, we made a commitment,” she said.

“With this certainty and a four year lead time, affected producers can make decisions appropriate to their circumstances.”

One question put to her by a journalist as she left the event after her address drew a brief response.

Minister Collins said she planned to hold discussions with industry and the Western Australian government regarding the transition package, and that it was her job to now make the transition as smooth as possible.

However, Mr Harvey-Sutton said the transition package was “unrealistic”.

“The independent panel received advice that it would be a 12 year process at least, this government has given them a three years and a half, it shows they don’t care, it shows they are unaware of the complexity of the policy they are imposing on people.” he said.

“We want them to do the right thing and reinstate this trade.”

Mr Harvey-Sutton said the “sad thing was it was not a question of the facts, it is all politics”.

However, the Keep the Sheep campaign, with 80,000 signatures on a petition to reverse the ban, had shown the community does support the industry and that the government had “seriously misread the room”, he said.