Three Federal and State politicians who say the WA government has "severely underestimated" the impact of the proposed phase out of the live-sheep trade on WA families and businesses, have put their concerns in writing to the Premier.
In a collective letter addressed to Premier Roger Cook, dated August 17, Federal Liberal MP for O'Connor Rick Wilson, WA Senator Slade Brockman and Liberals WA MP for the Agricultural Region Steve Martin voice their concerns in regards to the State government's recent submission to the 'Independent Panel on the Phase Out of Live Sheep Exports by Sea'.
"The WA Government submission to the Independent Panel on the Phase Out of Live Sheep Exports by Sea cited the economic consequences of the phase out modelled on a very conservative estimate of a 15 per cent reduction of our state sheep flock," the letter states.
"The modelled cost to WA's agricultural industry would be in the order of $123 million annually, and around 690 full-time equivalent jobs would be lost.
"We believe the impacts on families and business throughout the value chain has been severely underestimated, and the potential damage to WA's international reputation as a reliable supplier of quality food and fibre as part of our broader trade relationships has not been acknowledged."
Sent to the Premier on the first day of the Australian Labor Party's three-day national conference, held in Brisbane last week, the Liberal MPs and WA senator requested Mr Cook use the conference as an opportunity to "exercise his authority" as Premier during any discussions on Federal Labor's plans to phase-out the industry.
While the letter commended Mr Cook and WA Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis on their "public support" for the live sheep trade, it re-affirmed the group's collective stance that the phase-out of the live sheep trade is "unnecessary" saying it will have "far-reaching implications for not only WA sheep farmers, but also many ancillary businesses and supply chain stakeholders".
With the Federal government maintaining its position that the live sheep trade is a diminishing trade, the letter says this was in the face of increasing orders from Middle East destinations, highlighting Saudi Arabia's recent reopening to Australian exporters as an additional market for the sector.
"Meanwhile, here in WA, we are already seeing the impacts of the proposed 'phase out', with farmers transitioning out of sheep enterprise, livestock sale prices have more than halved, slaughter space is at capacity with three to four-month waiting periods for bookings, and with the recent Federal government decision to disallow Qatar Airlines application for an extra seven flights per week out of Perth, the opportunity to export an extra 365,000 carcasses per year has been lost," the letter says.
Ms Jarvis said the intent of the submission had been to provide an "objective analysis" of the impact of a transition out of live sheep exports on the State's sheep flock, industry and supply chain businesses.
"The submission was informed by objective data sets and reliable, independent modelling to provide a clear picture of what transition would mean to WA," Ms Jarvis said.
"Taking this approach enables the State government to provide evidence-based reasoning to negotiate the best deal for WA.
"DPIRD's (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) Live Sheep Export Advisory Group was consulted and given copies of industry reports referenced in the State government's submission."
While all submissions to the independent panel were due by May 31, because of the complex nature of the analysis undertaken, Ms Jarvis said the State government was granted an extension until August 5.
