Another 'kick in the guts': industry decries live sheep phase out plan

Australian Live Exporters' Council CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton said the government was throwing out Australia's vital agricultural industries in favour of activist ideologies, as well as a few votes.

"This is a paltry package that completely ignores the complexity of the Australian sheep farming supply chain," he said.

"It's an insulting way to attempt to compensate for a ban that will decimate WA farmers and their families."

"Just this week, Minister Watt was shaking hands with people who depend on live export at Beef Australia and hearing first-hand the devastating impacts of the 2011 ban.

"Yet, unfortunately, the first thing he does after that is fly straight to Perth to breeze in and shut live sheep exports down."

Mr Harvey-Sutton said farmers and the livestock export industry would not accept this unfair treatment lying down.

"The Australian livestock industry would like to deliver a very clear message to WA's sheep farmers: we are standing with you and this is only the beginning of the fight," he said.

National Farmers' Federation CEO Tony Mahar said the move ignores industry advice that such a rapid timeline would spell catastrophe for farming communities, for animal welfare, and for Australia's global trading partnerships.

"It also shows complete ignorance to the real-world implications of a ban, which will inevitably lead to poorer animal welfare outcomes," he said.

"This doesn't end the global demand for live sheep."

In the wake of the announcement Nationals leader David Littleproud has promised that a Coalition government would overturn the policy and keep the trade.

Sheep producer Ellen Walker from Brookton, WA described the announcement as "a punch in the guts when you are already down".

"We are coming off the back of an extremely dry summer with very poor sheep prices," she said.

"We have had to carry extra stock because if they are slaughter quality, the supply chain is full, and if they are store quality, there is no confidence or feed for feed-lotters to want to purchase.

"I currently have over 200 sheep that I am going to have to destroy because there is nowhere for them to go, it is uneconomical to keep them and I need what little grass that's growing for my ewes that are due to start lambing in the next couple of weeks.

"And all of this is with the boats still operating.

"We were trying to be optimistic that getting rid of the glut of sheep over the winter and a good season would see prices improve by the spring and our industry head back to being a profitable business option, this decision will put us back at square one.

Members of the sheep and wool industry in the eastern states attending the Queensland State Sheep Show on Saturday as details broke of the phase out strategy also decried the plans, with it described as "absolutely ludricrous" and "terrible news".

Agforce sheep wool and goats president Stephen Tully said his heart went out to all the producers in WA and the transition package would have "no beneficial outcomes".

"The federal government has just got the world record in stupid decisions," he said.

"If the industry was there it would make more than that every year.

"They're going to send experts to the Middle East and tell them how to eat... I'm sure that will go down well."

Mt Ascot Merinos stud principal Nigel Brumpton said the government's plans to expand domestic meat abattoir capacity didn't take into account labour difficulties that had affected the processing sector in recent years.

"The cattle industry and goats are the same, they can't get enough staff already," he said.

"The live export industry and the wider sheep industry have put decades of work into developing those Middle Eastern markets... we're going to lose those markets.

"It's a kick in the guts for the whole sheep industry."

Even while animal activists are celebrating, calling the announcement "better late than never" they are still pushing for the end of the trade to come even sooner.

PETA campaigns advisor Mimi Bekhechi said the end date had come after "decades of work from intrepid investigators and dedicated campaigners".

"While PETA is relieved to find the end in sight, it's years off and the government should act now to stop the misery and cruelty, not wait another four years," she said.