Live export: WA farmers outline ‘massive implications’ of sheep shipping ban at final consultation meeting

Emotions were raw and on full display as farmers gathered in Perth for the last in a series of public consultation sessions led by Federal Labor’s live export phase-out panel. About 170 people attended the workshop, with some breaking into tears as they laid bare the impact shutting down WA’s $92 million live sheep trade would have on their livelihoods. Moora farmer Phillip Gairdner, a former Nationals MLC, said live export played a “crucial role” for his business, which was primarily focused on wool. “This ban is a wool enterprise issue. Out of wool, you get revenue from wool and selling sheep,” he said. “The tragedy is that we have the holy grail of Merinos in WA. Live export is an essential part of the wool industry and it will be greatly affected.” Fremantle Wool Trading company director John Bradbury was among a handful of wool industry representatives who attended the meeting to share their views and support industry. “The ban will severely impact the wool industry. . . it may even put the Western Wool Centre in jeopardy, if we are to lose that much volume coming through,” he said. “Farmers are destocking, reducing sheep numbers. . . we hear it every day. “There were a lot of good points put across at the meeting. . . particularly the importance of livestock and how it that part of farmers’ programs flows on to other parts of agriculture.” Boddington farmer Simon Kelsall still holds hope the decision can be reversed after attending both the Perth and Narrogin panel discussions. Mr Kelsall said his farm business was reliant on live export, saying the trade underpinned the price he received for sheep. “We are reliant on sheep. We live export on occasion, and we currently have 1000 lambs we would like to export but the trade is closed for the moratorium,” he said. “This issue is very emotional for communities and the mental health of farmers. The decision has been made but we are all still hoping we can help change the decision.” Natalie Kelsall, who attended with her husband quoted above, struggled to hold back tears as she spoke about the meeting, saying there was no way emotion could not play a part in the debate. “The far-reaching impacts of the trade will be massive. Not only is it monetary, it is about mental health,” she said. “The amount of passion. . . to see grown men crying. The implications will be massive. “I think the flow-on effects have been really underestimated. We do live export so well and we should be proud of it. It is so sad it has come to this.” It was the first consultation session attended by WAFarmers president John Hassell, who said he wanted to make sure the farming sector was adequately presented. “There were some points that hadn’t been made. . . in terms of it not being possible to turn off to an abattoir when it is a dry season when there are extra sheep on the market,” he said. “I thought that point needed to be made. I also knew there would be a range of activists here and I wanted to make sure there were plenty of farmers.” Mr Hassell said it was inevitable the discussion would be emotional. “The panel has a difficult job trying to keep people in control. . . the farmers, there is not only economic impacts but emotional tie-up in all of this and that is really serious,” he said. “Farmers feel they have a lot coming for them at the moment. . . there is a lot of negativity in farming. “There were farmers in tears here today. There is a lot of emotion. It is a tough time for everyone.” Wongan Hills farmers Marilyn and Graham Bookham sold most of their sheep after hearing of Labor’s plan to ban the trade, destocking from 3000 to 300 sheep within the past six months. “It (live export) underpinned our business. . . as soon as the decision (to ban the live sheep trade) was announced the wethers had to go,” Ms Bookham said. “We were being paid less for them than what we bought them for.” The couple used to run a “massive sheep-trading operation” in Wyalkatchem they wrapped up in 2009, saying the closure of the business contributed to a depressed economic situation in town. “We came to the meeting because I wanted to bring up the example of what has happened to that town with the removal of a big sheep operation,” Mr Bookham said. “Is the best way not to be involved in sheep? It feels that way. “We are now almost solely cropping.” Trucking business owner Glen Linklater, of Northam, said up to 40 per cent of his business would “disappear” overnight if the live sheep trade was banned. He founded Link Linehaul 12 years ago, servicing the local area and also working as a sub-contractor for other trucking businesses in the Mid West with three staff. The business predominantly carts sheep for live export and saleyards and chicken manure for crops. “The beauty of live export sheep is they are carted three times. . . from farm to saleyard, saleyard to feedlot, and feedlot to the ship,” he said. “It is an important industry. Truck drivers are feeling vulnerable. “I have tried carting grain. . . it doesn’t work, there is an oversupply of trucks. “The ban being announced before consultation just makes no sense at all.” The Perth meeting was the last of five held across WA last week, starting with a Monday workshop in Geraldton attended by about 120 people according to the Federal Agriculture Department. That number doubled at a workshop in Merredin the next day, which was followed by packed out meetings in Kondinin (120 attendees), Lake Grace (180) and Darkan (240). Speaking after the Perth meeting, panel chair Phillip Glyde said it was the most emotionally charged gathering yet. “For the first time in. . . these large public meetings, we’ve had both sides of the debate in the room at the same time, so it’s understandable, given this is such an emotional issue and such a controversial issue, that there would be some tempers,” he said. “But generally speaking, today people were well behaved (despite) a little bit of interjection. “They (animal activists) would like to see the phase out happen as quickly as possible; many of them said that they’d been campaigning for many years. “We also heard. . . the sheep industry side, so we heard views from right across the stakeholder spectrum today.” Mr Glyde thanked everyone who attended meetings and submitted feedback over the past three months. “It takes a lot of effort to come and put (forward) your view, particularly if you’re feeling quite distressed,” he said. “We’ve had many people very distressed come to talk to us in these meetings.” Mr Glyde said the four-person panel must now wade through about 4100 submissions before handing down its recommendations in a report to Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt on September 30. He said it was too early to say what those recommendations — which will focus on how and when the trade should be phased out — would be. “That’s the really big question for us,” Mr Glyde said. “We’ll be coming back to the minister. . . with that really critical answer — how long is needed? “We’ve got a lot of good information that we’re now going to need to synthesise and digest.” Last week’s visit — the third and final by the panel — followed private meetings in Perth in late March with farm lobby groups, exporters, meat processors and animal rights groups. In mid-April, the panel copped widespread criticism from farmers after launching a surprise five-day regional roadshow stopping in Moora, York, Narrogin, Wagin, Katanning, Cranbrook, Albany and Esperance. Despite being in the middle of seeding, farmers — most of whom only found out about the unadvertised meetings at the last minute — downed tools in their hundreds to attend.