Farm leaders urge PM to reverse live sheep export ban

Twenty-five agricultural groups have written to Anthony Albanese, making a last-minute plea for him to reverse a ban on the live sheep export trade.

Farm leaders have urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to reconsider the government’s decision to ban exports of live sheep by sea, saying the policy will cause “irreversible harm” to the agriculture sector and Australia’s $11.1 billion two-way trade with the Middle East.

The government set-up an independent panel in March to advise it on how and when to phase out the trade. It was recently granted a reporting extension to October 25.

In an industry letter sent to Mr Albanese on Thursday, the groups warned that the planned phase-out was a “red line issue.”

“No doubt there will be activist groups and non-farming interests urging you to stay the course on this policy,” it said.

Sheep that are destined for the live export market, pictured from the paddock to the vessel. Picture: Supplied

“An opportunity exists for you to do the right thing and work with Australian agriculture, not against it – as this is the choice you will be making.

“Live export stakeholders are losing confidence in your government’s ability to work in their best interests and those of the Australian agriculture sector.”

The 25 industry signatories include the National Farmers’ Federation, Cattle Australia, Australian Live Exporters Council, Sheep Producers Australia and Grain Producers Australia.

They pointed out that, as the Coalition had pledged to reverse the ban should they win the next federal election, that it is not only “pointless” but an expensive and disruptive process “for no gain”.

The letter also claimed Australia had become “world leaders” in the export of live sheep by sea since the Awassi Express disaster in 2018 when 2400 animals died in searing heat during a voyage from Fremantle to the Middle East.

However, the government has taken the phase-out to the last two federal elections and has repeatedly said the industry had lost its social license.

The groups also claimed the ban would likely not lower global demand from nations needing to source live sheep for religious and cultural purposes and that these alternative markets had lower animal welfare standards than Australia.

“So if the decision is being made on the grounds of improving animal welfare, the ban will be an abject failure,” it said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Other reasons cited include the potential jeopardising of trade deals and the erosion of Australia’s “reputation as a reliable economic partner”.

“Middle Eastern countries … are crucial investors in Australia’s future prosperity, and we have seen a twenty-fold increase in two-way investment in the past 20 years,” it said.

The letter also said that sustainable sheep and wool industries were the cornerstone of many regional economies, with a ban potentially having a devastating impact on these communities.

The government has also cited declining live sheep by sea trade exports for the ban, with numbers dropping from two million in 2017 to under 600,000 in 2021.

However, a ban on shipping sheep to the Middle East, instigated following the 2018 disaster, during the Northern Hemisphere summer has been partly responsible for the dip.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has said the phase out will not occur during the current term of parliament.