Farmers say Albany live export consultation went well, but remain concerned about effects of ending trade

Farmers at last week’s live sheep export consultation session in Albany made it clear they remain firmly opposed to the industry practice being banned. More than 100 concerned members of the farming community spent two hours on Thursday telling the panel tasked with leading the phase-out of Australian live sheep exports how it will affect the region’s industry. Bremer Bay’s Peter Smith, Wellstead’s Robert Davy and South Stirlings’ Derek Curwen told the Advertiser they thought the meeting went well considering the passion in the room. Mr Smith said the panel did well to respect everyone’s opinions and Mr Davy said it was good the meeting did not “boil over” because everyone who wanted to say something was given that opportunity. Mr Curwen was one of the first to put his hand up to ask a question and said he was like many in the audience who would have to control their emotions during the two-hour session. “I think they (the panel) are acting in good faith, but I ask the question: what are they going to do with the report?” he told the Advertiser. “The cynic in me says that the Labor Government will hide that report because they don’t want to listen to the outcomes because they’ve got a predetermined idea about where this industry is going.” Mr Curwen said a “salient point” raised during the meeting was how the industry had been “belted” in the past and each time it had taken 10 years to recover “and we’re faced with the same scenario right now”. Mr Davy said people had left the industry because of previous hardship and those remaining needed to strengthen their positions. “We were just in the throes of getting comfortable and excited about the industry,” he said. “I was just talking to Derek and Peter about how it has been exciting over the last few years, but all of a sudden there is this bout of uncertainty. “We’ve been in the industry and we’ve seen these things happen before, we can see the writing on the wall of what is going to happen and there is nothing in place to replace (live export).” Mr Smith said “the Government says they are listening but they haven’t got enough money to take its place or provide anything to take its place”. During the meeting, Stirling to Coast Farmers chair Sandy Forbes raised concerns, including how the uncertainty was particularly detrimental to the next generation of farmers and how innovation within the industry would be lost. She told the Advertiser a lot of work had been done to make improvements only for 25 per cent “of that industry to be taken from under us”. “It’s totally gutted and I looked at all the young people in the audience today and I feel really sorry for them,” she said. “They’ve taken up the reigns of what was a bit of a shadow industry to cropping in terms of technology and improvement of production. “I really respect and admire them for doing that and I feel disappointed that now there is a lack of confidence that has been created by this decision is quite devastating.” She said the panel had been provided clear feedback from the meeting that Plan A of not ending live export was the preference for those in the room. “But, in the event that we do have to go to Plan B there is a lot of focus on kill space and abattoir capacity in WA,” she said. “There was also a lot of talk about terms of that also consulting with our current live export markets, particularly in the Middle East to make sure we don’t have any impact on our trade relations with them and any ongoing effects from that.”