WITH the ink barely dry on the newly sworn in Federal Government, its commitment to ending live sheep exports as pledged prior to the election remains firm, but just not in the first term.

Following the appointment of Murray Watt as the new Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry minister; farmers, industry bodies and stakeholders have been keen to see the detail of the government’s policy.

While the government has committed to ending the live sheep trade, encouragingly for farmers and the cattle industry, minister Watt gave an undertaking that it would not end the live cattle trade.

According to the Australian Livestock Export Council (ALEC), Australia’s beef cattle exports are worth $1.35 billion annually, dairy cattle exports are worth about $170 million, sheep exports are worth $250 million, and goat exports are valued at about $10 million.

ALEC deputy chief executive, Scott Kompo-Harms, said the government has committed to consult with industry over the trade, however, any example set with ending sheep exports is concerning.

“The precedent certainly is worrying,” he said.

“There is little justification for shutting down live sheep exports.

“The case for shutting down live cattle is even weaker.

“Talking to the minister and putting our very strong case (forward) is our priority at the moment,” he said.

Mr Kompo-Harms stressed that whole farm production systems are geared towards a supply chain that included live exports.

“Switching it off, even gradually will have a damaging impact on that whole supply chain,” he said.

“You can’t avoid that.”

Mr Kompo-Harms said that given the significant improvements in animal welfare standards in the industry in recent years, ending live sheep exports sends a negative signal that despite considerable investment and effort, it hasn’t been enough.

“We’re proud of our performance and we look forward to making our case to the minister,” he said.

He said export numbers had reduced because of herd rebuilding efforts following the floods and drought in certain areas of Australia, and that both livestock and meat exports have been affected by a lack of supply.

“As the herd rebuilding effort wanes, more livestock will become available and exports will pick up again,” he said.

Mr Kompo-Harms also stated it made no sense to end air transport of live animal exports because it was clearly a very safe and effective way to transport livestock.

“Air consignments are generally much smaller than sea consignments and the time in transit is much shorter,” he said.

“For sheep consignments by air, there was one mortality in 2021 and nine in the last three years.

“That’s a mortality rate of less than one hundredth of one percent.”

Australian farmers produce many more cattle, sheep and goats than required to feed the domestic population, deeming exports a critical element of the livestock industry.

While most of the excess production is exported as chilled or frozen beef, lamb, mutton, and goat meat, having the ability to export animals live from Australia provides benefits both here and overseas.

The Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment’s statistics show that the total value of live cattle and sheep exports from Victoria in 2020/21 was $296.6 million.

South-west Victoria exports around 90,000 heifers per annum, with most going to China.

Out of the Port of Portland, to date this year, 39,508 breeder cattle have been exported, with the bulk going to China and the remaining 1.36 per cent to Indonesia.

Over the last two decades, leaked footage of terrified animals crammed onto open-decked ships, many storeys high, to endure gruelling trips across thousands of kilometres in extreme conditions, with many starving or succumbing to heatstroke and disease, shocked the public and decimated the reputation of the industry.

Animal activists including PETA thus campaigned against the trade, maintaining live exports must be shut down.

Local farmers were even personally opposed to the live animal export trade, with one saying recently, “it’s just cruel and unnecessary – they can be processed here and then you can keep jobs here also.”

Among the benefits for continuing the live trade is that meat produced in Australia is often more expensive than people can afford in other countries that don’t have enough farmland for breeding the number of cattle and sheep.

According to findings in a recent survey conducted by research bodies, LiveCorp and Meat & Livestock Australia, community sentiment around live exports has improved slightly over the past two years.

Voconiq chief executive, Kieren Moffat, who conducted the research said there is stronger recognition than in the 2019 survey of the benefit of live exports to people living overseas.

“(These include), improving diet and nutrition, supporting food security by providing breeding stock, and exporting know-how and technology along with livestock,” he said.

The government’s commitment to not ending live cattle export is good news according to Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) director of strategy and policy, Craig Hough, who said that not only was the export of dairy heifers critical to the livelihoods of Australian dairy farmers, but it was also essential to countries all over the world to increase and improve herds and nutrition.

“Australia exported 105,000 dairy cattle for milking and breeding in 2021,” he said.

Mr Hough said that the ADF doesn’t agree with ending the live sheep trade, especially given the amount of negligible animal welfare breaches.

“It is Labor policy to phase out live sheep exports but it’s the Greens that want to ban all live animals exported for profit,” he said.

“But there are numerous stakeholders who will ensure that exporting live cattle, which is critical to the Australian economy, will not succumb to pressure.

“Since the (2019) review, industry and regulators have been working very hard to implement all recommendations.”

What is feared in the industry is another overnight ‘knee jerk’ reaction by the government, similar to what occurred in 2011 after horrific scenes of cruelty to Australian cattle while being slaughtered in Indonesian abattoirs were exposed, resulting in public outrage.

The government was condemned for shutting down family farming businesses who bred livestock for export, particularly in northern Australia.

The government’s ban on live exports to Indonesia was subsequently ruled invalid by the Federal Court.

However, to quell growing public outrage, in July 2011, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment introduced regulations through the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS).

ESCAS requires exporters to have commercial arrangements with supply chain partners to provide humane treatment and handling of livestock from arrival in the importing country up to the point of slaughter.

At a time when the agriculture industry is recovering from impacts from the coronavirus pandemic and striving to bolster the Victorian economy, the live export trade remains critical to the rural and regional community.

Under the scenario of all live exports ending, the impact on the Port of Portland would be minimal as there is no sheep trade out of that port, and cattle makes up only one per cent of the exported tonnage.

“Obviously we don’t want to see the live export trade cease,” Port of Portland chief executive, Greg Tremewan said.

“Any loss of trade for the Port of Portland is a loss to local business and the community.”

Economic modelling by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) and the Centre for International Economics found that about 10,000 jobs across Australia are dependent on livestock exports and that a cessation of the trade would impose a net cost of about $300 million annually on Australian livestock producers.

Minister Watt’s office was contacted for comment with no answer.