Panel wanted more time to decide fate of live sheep by sea trade

An independent panel formed to advise the federal government on the phase out of live sheep exports was granted an extension – but not as long as it wanted.

An extension granted to the independent panel overseeing advice on how and when the government should phase out live sheep exports by sea fell short of the time requested by the head of the panel.

In an August 25 letter to Agriculture Minister Murray Watt, seen by The Weekly Times, panel chair Phillip Glyde sought ministerial approval for a reporting extension from September 30 to October 31.

“The volume and range of input received in the consultation process and commissioned work is such that we are unable to complete our analysis and recommendations in the original time frame,” he wrote.

“We believe it is important to fully consider the input received, finalise consultations and weigh submissions and commissioned consultancies.”

Panel chair Phillip Glyde is chairing the independent panel overseeing advice on how and when the government will phase out live sheep exports by sea. Picture: Kym Smith

Mr Glyde detailed the range of stakeholders the panel had met with since March 3, but said its most recent visit to Western Australia in the week of August 21 “involved further targeted meetings” to test what the panel had been told earlier about “priority actions and implementation arrangements”.

However, in a written reply on September 15, while Mr Watt thanked the panel for its “significant amount of work”, including the analysis of more than 2000 public submissions, he only granted the panel until October 25.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry & Minister for Emergency Management Senator Murray Watt. Picture: Gary Ramage

“To ensure you have sufficient time to fully consider the input received I agree to an extension, it is important that the advice you provide is appropriately informed and robust,” he said.

Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chief executive Mark Harvey-Sutton said it was “concerning” that Mr Watt cut short the panel’s time it felt it needed.

“The minister has always said the phase-out process would be orderly and that he would listen to his expert panel,” he said.

“However, when the panel’s first advice was that they needed more time, the minister only took their advice partially on board. Does this now set a precedent for how the government will respond to the panel’s report?”

Twenty-five agricultural groups recently wrote to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to make a last-minute plea for him to reverse the proposed live sheep export trade phase-out.

Meanwhile, while ABARES said last week that the looming phase-out of live sheep exports by sea was not causing falling sheep prices, Sheep Producers Australia chief executive Bonnie Skinner argued that the connection was “clear.”