Government will speed towards end of live sheep trade, no matter what

The detail was revealed in the government's response to an independent panel report into how the transition away from the trade should be carried out.

Even though the independent panel recommended that a 2026 review should be carried out to see if processing capacity and markets are on track to manage WA sheep turn-off by the proposed 2028 end date with the possibility of extending the timeline, the government rejected the idea of any extension.

The government response to the recommendation said that while a stocktake of how the sheep supply chain is adapting would be carried out in 2026 or 2027, it would focus on what further steps may be needed ahead of the phase out.

"It is important that individuals, businesses and communities are able to plan with certainty," the response said.

"The stocktake will not reconsider the end date for the trade and the timeline for the transition will not change.

"Re-opening the trade end date would create unnecessary ambiguity and may discourage industry stakeholders from taking early decisions and actions to adapt their operations."

In its response, the government also suggested that industry research and development corporations needed to take a role in getting the producers and the wider supply chain ready for the transition, but stopped short of committing any government funding, despite the panel recommending that funds be made available for extension and adoption initiatives.

Pointing to organisations including Meat & Livestock Australia, LiveCorp and the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, the government said that the "confirmation of the phase out date will be a prompt for the RDCs to incorporate extension and adoption activities focused on the phase out into their annual and five-yearly plans".

The government also cited Australian Wool Innovation and the Grains Research and Development Corporation in their response, despite those bodies not being involved in the sheepmeat sector.

Australian Livestock Exporters' Council CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton said the handling of the phase out plan had been disgraceful and he believed that the government would come to regret the decision as the agricultural sector continues to fight back.

"I believe what the various points in the panel's report and the government's response demonstrate is that they really weren't interested in listening," he said.

"The reticience of the Australian government to undertake a review of the timeline as recommended by the panel just demonstrates that they know that their plan is not going to work and that's why they're rejecting it outright.

"This whole thing has been a political plaything being guided by a minister who is captured by ideology and animal activism.

"The other thing that is bitterly disappointing is that the government's own panel commissioned independent economic advice and even those consultants have been ignored.

"All that has occurred here is a pre-determined outcome and the government has taken WA producers for a ride in the meantime.

Mr Harvey-Sutton said the government was clearly looking to make a political decision and then let others deal with the fall out.

"There has been no responsibility taken throughout this whole process for the damage that this policy will do and by seeking to make it the RDCs' problem, all the government is doing is shirking its responsibility," he said.

"Realistically if the government did wish to act in the interests of the levy payers of those organisations, they'd reverse the policy right now.

"The Australian Livestock Exporters are very proud to stand behind WA producers at the moment, we know it is extremely tough there seasonally and we think it's egregious that a federal government has made it worse with a policy that the WA government itself does not support."