Live sheep export phase-out funding boost

The Western Australian sheep industry has received a funding boost for the live sheep phase out transition, as federal agriculture minister Julie Collins visits the state.

An additional $32.7 million will be offered to Western Australian sheep farmers to ease the transition of the live sheep export by sea phase out.

This takes the total transition package to $139.7 million to support the phase out by May 2028, with federal agriculture minister Julie Collins visiting the southwest of the state on Tuesday to meet with sheep meat processors, WA farming representatives and grain producers, The Weekly Times understands.

WA Farmers livestock president Geoff Pearson accepted an invitation to meet with the minister.

Julie Collins holds a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman

While WA Farmers remained “against the poor decision”, Mr Pearson said it was important farmers worked to see that the transition money was “spent in the right areas, and see that it gets to the right people”.

“It is our job to educate her about how it will affect the industry … and if it (the package) is happening we want to see it fall into the right hands and not get sucked up by consultations,” he said.

WA Farmers remained hopeful the decision to ban the trade would be overturned, he said.

However, not all industry groups agreed to attend a meeting with the minister, with the operators of the Peel Feedlot, Emanuel Exports Pty Ltd, and their Kuwaiti owners declining an invitation.

“We appreciated the fact that Minister Collins is new in the portfolio and is making efforts to meet the supply chain in WA and face farmers affected by the ban,” ALEC CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton said.

Chief Executive and Company Secretary of the Australian Livestock Exporters' Council, Mark Harvey-Sutton. Picture: Martin Ollman

“However, at the nub of it, we simply asked ourselves what is the point of permitting the visit to the feedlot?

“To undertake this visit now under the pretence of coming to listen and understand how the industry works presents as a vain effort to tick a box on engagement and is a half-hearted attempt to stave off the massive drop in confidence the ban has caused in WA.”

About $27 million of the total transition package has been earmarked for activities to enhance market demand, and include:

– $3 million for Meat & Livestock Australia focused on sheepmeat market promotion here in Australia and overseas;

– $8.6m for Agriculture counsellors in Dubai and Riyadh to support regional trade relationships and new and expanded market opportunities for Australian sheep products; and

– $9m for Austrade to promote Australian sheep products globally and support broad growth in Australian agri-food trade in the Middle East and North Africa region.