Counting the cost – has the Labor government made the right call to ban sheep live exports?

When Agriculture Minister Murray Watt announced the independent panel to advise on the cessation of the sheep live export trade, farmers across Australia braced themselves for the inevitable onslaught of abuse and intimidation that has signified any discussions regarding the live export trade in Australia.

We’ve come to expect to bear the brunt of the moral harassment from animal activists that is characterised by personal attacks, threats against us and our families and an unending stream of hate-filled social media posts. Activists have even impersonated tradies and hidden in the staff toilets of industry offices.

Ann Britton, a cattle producer from Queensland has first-hand experience of the vicious attacks made by animal activists. During the cattle live export ban in 2011, Ann and her family were repeatedly targeted with telephone calls and messages through social media. In one terrifying incident a man from Victoria rang the local Council office to say that she and her daughter should have their throats cut while still alive and their heads smashed against the cement.

When I talked to Ann about this incident she said “the abuse on social media was horrendous, they had no facts and wouldn’t listen to reason or logic. Fake accounts would gang up in large numbers & attack lone individuals, they would accuse, abuse & then claim to be the injured party”.

Nicolle Jenkins, owner of a media business who is a service provider to the livestock industry has also been personally targeted by activists, including employees from an animal protection organisation. Nicolle endured a targeted social media and email campaign which attempted to discredit her to friends, colleagues and clients. It is this type of behaviour that those of us in agriculture have come to expect from activists who believe that they are above the law.

Western Australian Merino breeder Steven Bolt is a vocal supporter of the live export industry and has found himself the target of persecution from animal activists. He’s also concerned that Labor’s decision to ban live export sets an alarming precedent that is frightening for all animal production industries. Steven says that despite the industry having delivered on the new regulatory requirements set by federal department since 2018 with outstanding success, activist pressures and a lack of understanding of complexity of the supply chain by government will leave the sheep industry completely exposed. The exodus of sheep flocks by growers will see farming businesses with less diversity, lead to less employment and economic growth in rural communities and decimate the $800 million Western Australian wool industry.

Phil Logue, a farmer from Perenjori in WA’s north-eastern wheatbelt also has grave concerns about the impact that the proposed ban of the sheep live export will have on his own livelihood and his community.

It’s the multiplier effect of including wool sheep in a mixed farming enterprise where Phil really sees the value to his community. Up until recently, there had been a gradual decline in stock levels in the Perenjori region, however in the past 5 years more people have been restocking with merino sheep and this has led to more people moving back to the small community, taking advantage of increased work opportunities, cheaper housing and the chance to study. All this is underpinned by the live export trade and there are fears that if the trade is ceased, then his community will again return to being a ghost town.

The Albanese government is determined to push ahead with its election promise to bring the sheep live export trade to an end in a move that has been labelled by some industry figures as a ‘red line that cannot be crossed ’. It will be interesting to see if the broader agricultural industry of Australia can continue to present a united front to the Labor government and bring about a positive result for the sheep live export trade. For the sake of every other farmer in Australia – I certainly hope it can.