WA breeders vow to continue fighting until ban is overturned

Merino breeders say they are going to keep the heat on politicians over the live sheep export ban, planned for 2028.

Western Australian sheep breeders are vowing to continue to fight to keep the live sheep export by sea trade alive, despite plans by the federal Labor government to shut down the sector in May 2028.

And they will do all they can to influence the next federal election, according to breeders who made the trek over to Victoria for the annual Australian Sheep and Wool Show at Bendigo.

Breeders The Weekly Times spoke to did not hold back over their ongoing “disgust” over the decision, leaving little doubt that they have not given up on seeing a reversal of the ban.

Rangeview principal Jeremy King, from Darkan, brought sheep over to sell and show as part of the major gathering and said while it was good to be among a crowd that held more upbeat views about the state of the industry, the mood in his home state remained very low.

“The (planned) live export ban is having a dire effect on the industry and community and lamb numbers are expected to be down 30-40 per cent this year,” he said.

Wool forecasts were also foreshadowed a sharp drop in production.

Not all of this was caused by the proposed ban, however, with competition for land for continuous cropping also chipping into market share of the sheep industry.

But there was no doubt the proposed ban would “hurt the shearing, trucking and brokers”, as well as farmers themselves and the broader community, Mr King said.

The blow came during a poor season in many regions at a time when many farmers were already moving towards concentrating on grain production, following three years of improved grain returns.

While this wasn’t directly impacting his clients, as they largely remained focused on sheep and wool production, Mr King said the West Australian farm sector was committed to doing all they could to see a federal coalition government elected at the next poll.

And if so, he vowed WA farmers would “hold them” to their promise of over-turning the ban. 

While producers had been through hard times before, Mr King said rural towns would take “a lot longer to recover”.

Fellow WA Merino breeder, Wayne Button, Manunda Merinos, Tammin, judged the Merino classes at the show, and said there was a great deal of “ill feeling” in WA.

This was towards government overreach, he said, not only regarding the planned live export ban, but over “aiming to control farmers”, the markets they supplied, and how they managed their land.