Senate inquiry into live sheep export phase out voted down twice

West Australian farming communities will have “a lot to digest” this morning after the bill into banning live sheep exports by boat was passed in the Senate on Monday night.

West Australian farming communities will have “a lot to digest” this morning, after legislation to end the live sheep export trade by boat passed through the Senate on Monday night, in a move described as a “guillotine” by Coalition senators.

The passing of the bill finalises the move to phase out live sheep exports by May 1 2028, a decision which has been met with vehement opposition from regional communities in Western Australia.

The National Farmers’ Federation said WA communities should be proud of their efforts in fighting back against the legislation, but that there will now be some tough business decisions to make for those affected.

“We now have a dangerously unscientific precedent that will be celebrated tonight by groups who want to shut down Australian livestock production,” NFF president David Jochinke said.

“The facts are that unless this ban is reversed, farming communities, animals and Australia’s strategic trade partnerships will all suffer.”

This comes after Coalition senators attempted to refer the bill to a Senate committee for further scrutiny three times in the past week, but all attempts were voted down.

Wearing a Keep the Sheep T-shirt, Senator Bridget McKenzie told the Senate on Monday that a future coalition government would overturn this piece of legislation.

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud and Senator Bridget McKenzie hold a press conference about the Keep the Sheep movement at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman

WA Senator Louise Pratt said WA’s sheep and farming industry is not dependent on the live sheep trade, and that the $107m transition package announced for the industry would create hundreds of local jobs, while independent Senator David Pocock said it was disappointing there would not be a senate inquiry, but ultimately supported the bill.

A delegation of WA farmers from anti-ban lobby group Keep the Sheep, including WA Farmers president John Hassell, travelled to Canberra on Monday to meet with Agriculture Minister Murray Watt among other senators to again outline their concerns with the bill, but it was not enough.

Mr Hassell said he felt “a bit beaten around the head” but promised to continue the fight with the “pretty damn, good war chest” the group had.

“We’ve got 62 thousand signatures, we’ve got thousands of volunteers, and we’ve got all the electorates we are going to target.”