Live export: Sheep industry slams $32.7m funding boost, as leaders say ‘no amount of money’ will help

Farming leaders say the Albanese Government is trying to buy its way out of a “stupid idea” and insist “no amount of money” will be enough after an extra $32.7 million was injected into Labor’s live export ban transition package. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins on Tuesday announced the additional funding — bringing the package’s total value to $139.7m — which will go towards processing infrastructure, wellbeing services and financial counselling. WAFarmers president John Hassell blasted the move, saying farmers were still being “treated with contempt” by the Government. “If we were offered a billion dollars, we’d still want to keep the sheep,” he said. “What they’re trying to do is take all the industry out of all the small towns in Western Australia and consolidate it into two abattoirs. “It will kill regional communities.” Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA president Tony Seabrook agreed “no amount of money” would negate the negative impacts of losing the live sheep trade. “The Government have no concept of how much harm they’ve done and if they think this amount of money is going to in any way help us recover from that harm, it just shows just how out of touch they are,” he said. Mr Seabrook said the Government was “just trying to buy their way out of a really stupid decision”. But Ms Collins defended the funding boost, saying it came after further discussions with industry. “We’ve obviously been talking to sheep producers, we’ve been talking to the Live Export Council, we’ve been talking to the NFF (National Farmers Federation),” she said. “We’ve been talking to the Western Australian Government about what is required here on the ground and we have responded.” The extra funding comes in the wake of legislation passed through Federal Parliament in July which will see live sheep exports by sea outlawed from May 2028. As part of the package, then-Agriculture Minister Murray Watt announced a $107m support package to help the industry transition. That figure was immediately rubbished by farming leaders, industry groups and even State Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis. Ms Collins did not rule out increasing the package again in the future. “I think what we’ll do is we’ll see how the grants and the roll out of that money goes,” she said. The first of the funding from the package is expected to be unlocked in early November, when the first rounds of grants for initiatives to widen export markets open. Ms Collins did not specify when the funding will come for the farmers themselves, saying she wanted to see “money start to flow as soon as possible”. She was also unable to provide an answer to when the transition advocate – a position which has $1.7 million committed to it to oversee and engage domestic stakeholders and trading partners – would be appointed. “We’re obviously talking to industry about that appointment and about what the transition advocate should look like to make sure that the transition goes smoothly,” she said. “I want to see it happen as quickly as possible.” Sheep Producers Australia cautiously welcomed the extra funding but raised concerns over the transition plan’s “enormous lack of details”. “The government set the clock ticking . . . and industry is still waiting for tangible action,” SPA director Bonnie Skinner said. Ms Skinner said the funding “acknowledges some of the concerns raised by industry” but that SPA maintained its opposition to the ban. SPA board director and WA sheep producer Bindi Murray said the association had been calling for immediate funding for on-ground farm business planning. “Producers are already making the hard decisions about their futures, including cutting back their sheep numbers, risking the critical mass needed to sustain the WA sheep industry,” she said. “We want to see that these trade and marketing measures are genuinely new resources and that they are part of a structured program squarely focused on growing demand for Australian sheepmeat. “These funds must not be used to prop up or duplicate existing programs.” WA Livestock and Rural Transport Association president Ben Sutherland said “no amount of money” could overcome the “mental toll” inflicted by the ban. “I have distressed people contacting me about liquidating their equipment because the work is drying up, knowing full well that in the current climate they will not realise its true value,” he said. Australian Livestock Exporter’s Council CEO Mark-Harvey Sutton said “overwhelming” public support for keeping the live sheep trade had caught the Government by surprise. “They shouldn’t have been, but I think they’ve been surprised by the backlash; I think they’re very concerned about the level of support that people have for the industry in WA; and I think they’re actually worried by the Keep the Sheep campaign,” he said. “All of this is an effort to quell the industry’s anger and frustration, but in all likelihood, this may just increase it. “They are completely underestimating how angry people are with how they’ve been treated so far during this process.” Federal Nationals leader David Littleproud said Tuesday’s announcement was all for show. “This funding . . . does nothing to help the 3000 farmers who have had their livelihoods taken away,” he said. “Since Labor’s previous announcement for a transition package of $107 million, which included just $64.6 million for sheep producers and the supply chain side, not one cent has gone to helping our live sheep farmers.”