WA farmers demand Prime Minister front up during Perth visit to discuss future of live sheep export industry

WA farmers are demanding Anthony Albanese front up during his visit to Perth next month to discuss the future of the live sheep export industry. Agricultural advocacy group WAFarmers has written to the Prime Minister and to Agriculture Minister Murray Watt to request a visit from them during a planned Cabinet trip — suspected to be held on February 19. The group is calling on Mr Albanese to explain how and when their trade, and livelihoods, will likely come to an end. In the letter, obtained by The West Australian, requests the pair to discuss in person two agriculture issues affecting the State. “As the peak organisation representing the broadacre farming community in WA, we would welcome the opportunity to meet with yourselves to discuss the future of the State’s sheep industry,” the letter reads. “(This is) along with recent changes to national biosecurity funding arrangements that will be largely carried by WA grain growers.” A Government spokeswoman confirmed the Prime Minister’s office had received the letter and that it would “be considered in due course”. Irrespective of the outcome of the letter, WA Farmers Federation CEO Trevor Whittington hit out at Mr Albanese, saying he had shown no interest in the industry. “It’s clearly evident that the Prime Minister has worked out the policy to ban the trade is poor policy and he’s left his Minister for Agriculture to carry what really should sit with him,” Mr Whittington told The West. “It’ll be interesting to see if the Prime Minister, when he comes over for Cabinet in February, is prepared to talk to industry.” He claims that Mr Albanese and Labor more broadly completely underestimated how devastating the policy would be to WA — with the State’s farmers responsible for 80 per cent of the national live sheep export trade. “It was easy politics at the time of the election to buy inner city votes in Sydney and Melbourne, but the reality has hit the Government because of the growing backlash across WA,” Mr Whittington added. Labor has made phasing out live sheep exports a commitment at the last two Federal elections following the deaths of about 2400 sheep on a ship from Fremantle to the Middle East in 2017. It appointed an independent panel last year to determine how and when that will be done, with the panel’s report to be released publicly. But the Coalition has criticised Labor for taking too long to release it. A Department spokesman has reiterated that it would be released in full “once the Government has had the appropriate time to review and consider it”. “The Government is committed to delivering its election commitment to phase out the export of live sheep by sea,” the spokesman said. “But all along we have maintained that it will be done in an orderly and considered way, to minimise the impacts on industry.” Calls for a meeting with Mr Albanese came after The West revealed on Saturday that about 200 submissions on the phase-out of the trade are being kept secret — with farmers requesting anonymity amid fear of reprisals from animal activists. It’s also believed that many other farmers were too afraid to even put in submissions over concerns their personal information would be leaked to activists known to target individual farms. The government received more than 800 written submissions and 3300 survey responses. The Cook Government crunched the numbers last year and found the phase-out would cost the State’s agricultural industry up to $123 million a year and put nearly 4000 people out of work.