Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Peter Dutton gave the keynote address at the WA Pastoralists and Graziers Association's annual convention, reaffirming the coalition's unwavering support for the WA live export industry. Today, I update the House on the damage currently being done to WA farming families due to the Labor government's commitment to ban the live sheep export trade. An uncertain time frame around industry closure is causing a collapse in farmer confidence and plummeting sheep prices. Only last week, a Boyup Brook farmer advertised 600 breeding sheep to give away for free. Others talk of shooting animals that were worth hundreds of dollars 12 months ago but are now of no commercial value. With constrained slaughter capacity at abattoirs, farmers are desperate to destock to avoid feed shortages and an on-farm animal welfare crisis come summertime.

I repeatedly warned the PM and ministers of the grave consequences of their ideologically driven obsession to ban live sheep exports despite the irrefutable evidence of positive animal welfare outcomes and the need to maintain decades-old trade relationships with the Middle East. I believe the pending report from the independent panel on the phase-out of live sheep exports by sea will document the deep harm this government is inflicting on WA regional communities. I implore the PM to heed the serious concerns I hold for the more than 3,500 regional families dependent on the $143 million live sheep export industry.