Federal government announces end to live sheep exports in 2028

The federal government has delivered a knockout blow to the Australian live sheep export industry, announcing the trade will end in less than four years. Read all the details.

Australian live sheep exports will end on May 1, 2028.

The federal government has delivered a knockout blow to the Australian live sheep export industry, announcing the controversial trade will end in less than four years.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt is in Perth on Saturday where he unveiled a plan to end live sheep exports by sea by May 1, 2028 and a $107 million transition package.

Legislation to end the trade will be introduced to parliament before the next election.

The plan has been savaged as “disgusting” and nonsensical by farm leaders and the federal opposition, who has vowed to scrap it if it wins the next election due in 2025.

In a statement, Senator Watt said the government had made an election commitment to the Australian public and by legislating the date and providing assistance “we are giving certainty to sheep producers and the supply chain”.

The government also on Saturday announced it had accepted 23 of the 28 recommendations of an independent panel advising it on a phase out, including a key recommendation of the end date for the trade.

The government’s tranistion package will be made up of:

$64.4 MILLION to support sheep producers and the supply chain, including to encourage early adoption, expand existing sheep processing capacity and cold storage options, as well as invest in community wellbeing and mental health.

$27 MILLION to enhance demand, both domestically and internationally, for sheepmeat including mutton.

$6.2 MILLION to improve animal welfare outcomes before the transition.

$1.7 MILLION to appoint a transition advocate.

$11 MILLION to implement the transition.

National Farmers’ Federation president David Jochinke described the announcement as “a kick in the guts” to the Australian sheep producers. He accused the government of “putting politics over policy” and labelled the support package “completely inadequate”.

“They have gone about it in a disgusting way,” Mr Jochinke said.

“If it wasn’t for the fact that we begged and kicked to get the advisory panel out to the regions that wouldn’t have happened. We kept calling for the report - for that not to be released (before today) meant we couldn’t digest it. We have had no real natural way of measuring or understanding what the government’s thought process is.

“The government says it took it to two elections when in fact they only won one - they have got no clear mandate to be doing this to an industry that has changed (after widespread reforms centred on animal welfare last decade).”

Mr Jochinke said it was disrespectful that key farm leaders and stakeholders were only informed of Saturday’s announcement at the same time as those “wanting to tear the industry down”.

“That was a real hard pill to take. We had a teleconference with the RSPCA on the call and they were championing a shortening of the timeframe,” Mr Jochinke said.

Nationals leader and opposition agriculture spokesman David Littleproud described Saturday’s announcement as a slap in the face to West Australian sheep producers.

“(The Minister) hasn’t had the courage, nor has the Prime Minister, to explain the science as to why they need to shut this industry down after the reforms of 2019,” Mr Littleproud said,

“There will be needless deaths of sheep around the world because and it will all be because of an ideology of a Labor government that doesn’t understand Western Australia.”

Mr Littleproud vowed the scrap the proposed ban in the Coalition won the next federal election, due in 2025, or overturn it on entering office post 2028.

“If you look at what is happening in New Zealand now when they get rid of ideological governments like (Jacinta) Ardern’s, then these things can be re-opened and we give that commitment, but we don’t think we should get to that point. It should stop now and we can stop it by winning the next election.”

More to come