Slade Brockman says WA sheep farmers deserve basic freedoms

It is the same root that gives us the word licentious, which means 'to act without legal or moral constraints'.

A licence, in the original, was a grant of freedom.

It arose at a time (1200-1400 AD) when there wasn't much freedom to be found.

England at that time - like most places on the globe - saw all power flowing from the onarch.

While the Magna Carta had been signed in 1215, the reality was that many freedoms came as a grant of action from the crown - a licence.

Eight centuries on and thankfully we don't think that way anymore.

Freedom is something inherent to us as individuals living in a western democracy.

The freedoms we talk about a lot - freedom of speech, of worship or from government oppression - are underpinned and enhanced by a few we don't talk about nearly enough.

That is freedom of property and freedom to trade.

Without the freedom to hold property - be it land or goods - and trade that property with whomever you choose, the other freedoms evaporate in the face of economic desperation.

If history has shown us one thing it is that the difference between prosperity and poverty, is property.

So we live in a society that is prosperous and relatively free.

Or so we thought.

Western Australian sheep farmers have just suffered an attack on their basic freedoms.

Sheep farmers and related industries have been told by the Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt that they have lost their 'social license'.

And that he's shutting the export trade down.

They have lost their freedom to operate - as if it were something granted from above by a 'King Watt'.

But this misappropriation and bastardisation of the term 'social license' puts every single agricultural industry at risk.

So where did the concept of a social license arise?

It was developed by the mining industry to support local communities impacted by significant development.

A mine opening near a small regional town has dramatic impacts on population, work, schools, amenities and the local environment.

It is figuratively - and sometimes literally - a seismic event.

Mining companies used the vague concept of 'social license' to act as a framework to support local communities impacted by development.

That makes sense.

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But applying the concept of 'social license' to agriculture is just plain wrong. Why?

Agricultural industries are their local communities.

Sheep farmers buy from the local shops and send their kids to the local schools.

They employ the shearers and mechanics and the vets.

Their neighbours supply the feed for the feedlots and boats.

The truckies also send their kids to the local school and they buy their fuel at the local petrol stations.

They all contribute to the local footy team, supermarket and pub.

WA sheep farmers and truckies, vets, agronomists and feedlot operators do not need a 'social license' to operate.

For Mr Watt to say they do is just an insult.

This use of 'social license' is a Sword of Damocles hanging over every single part of agriculture.

Anti-farming activists can look for, or engineer, one mistake and then attack an industry to get it closed.

Sadly, the minister who is meant to be defending the industry is more concerned about the votes in inner city electorates than the livelihoods of regional Australians.

With his decision to end the live export trade in sheep, Mr Watt has jumped straight to a ban - no assessment of the remarkable steps of improvement the industry has taken - no chance to take further actions to save a great Australian industry.

Basic freedoms have gone at the stroke of a pen.

Under this government, agriculture has no certainty.

Its future is at the whim of the social media mob, with emotional reactions driving political decisions not aligned with science, economics or sound policy.

It is not just the farming sector under threat.

Activists will increasingly use this approach against other parts of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, food processing, even recreational pursuits such as fishing and bushwalking.

One sheep farmer asked me: "where can I go to pick up my social license?"

Agriculture should never use that phrase - it is a Trojan horse.

It is the language of those who want agriculture to dance to the tune of the activists.

No part of it needs to go cap in hand to be granted a 'social license' by the minister.

Sheep farmers and everyone else involved in the live export supply chain, deserve the same freedoms as everybody else.