First published in The West Australian, 4 May 2018
For too long we have watched the systemic mistreatment of sheep in the mistaken belief that the live export trade is a natural, acceptable and economically necessary form of agricultural export. It is none of these things.
As the representative of a community that has led the fight for change, I am pleased that Labor has now committed to seeing a transition out of the trade.
There is no doubt the live export of sheep is inherently cruel.
Way back in 1985, a Senate inquiry described live export as “inimical to animal welfare”. Since then we have seen countless reviews and media exposes about animals being subject to awful inhumane treatment. We have seen animals dying of thirst and heat-stress half-buried in a hellish swamp of their own waste while the industry and regulator claimed all was well.
Ending the long-haul live sheep trade is the only way to stop the infernal punishment inflicted on our animals. We can make this change with minimal impact on farmers. We can transition quickly to an expanded processing industry that will create 350 additional jobs and increase our higher value-added exports to a growing market.
The equation is simple. A transition package can bring an end to the live export of sheep, support the income of affected farmers, invest in local processing infrastructure, and fund a trade effort to build upon our strong share of the growing chilled meat export market. No one should be fooled into believing that live sheep export is a major part of the livestock economy when it is a small and diminishing trade.
Consumer preferences in the Middle East have changed dramatically. Within a decade, live exports to the Middle East have plummeted more than 60 per cent to 1.5 million.
Yet last year alone, 2.5 million Australian processed whole sheep were flown to Middle East destinations, with another million sent by sea, chilled or frozen.
When Bahrain stopped the live import trade, Australian-processed meat took over the market completely. While 85 per cent of the live export sheep come from WA, the trade still only represents on average 0.5 per cent of farmers’ income. Global sheep meat exports are worth 11 times as much.
There is sufficient local demand to take the 1.5 million sheep that are sold for live export to the Middle East. At present, the price premium for live sheep is about $8 a head.
One approach could be to underwrite a reduced and stable price premium that would taper away as farmers adjust.
A further modest investment in processing and transport infrastructure, with support for trade facilitation, would add to a balanced package of measures.
In any case, there is no sliding scale that makes animal cruelty acceptable at a certain price. It is entirely possible to exit this trade and it is essential that we do so.
Clearly, the Federal Government has fallen behind the community on this issue. The Department of Agriculture has not regulated a rotten industry and instead been complicit in its failures.
Sending tens of thousands of sheep in metal cages to the hottest part of the world at the hottest time of the year is a recipe for animal torture.
At present, 2 per cent mortality on a three-week voyage is considered acceptable even though it is 10 times higher than on farms. Since 2005, there have been 71 separate voyages that have resulted in more than 1000 sheep deaths per voyage.
In the past fortnight I have been contacted by thousands of people across Australia.
One of the saddest things I heard was from a bloke who said the trade was based on the capacity of sheep to survive unimaginable suffering. Most animals couldn’t bear it, he said. But sheep are hardy enough that after weeks of brutal heat and thirst many are unloaded sufficiently alive to earn their price.
The live sheep trade to the Middle East should be ended.
I have argued for the transition that Labor has committed to support. It will be achieved through a new industry that supports farmers and creates jobs.
And it is the only way to guarantee the animal welfare standards that Australians rightly insist upon.
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