Dr Peter Barnard presenting at breakfast seminar at Lambex.

ONE of the country’s biggest sheep industry events has been told to keep fighting the Government’s phase out of live sheep exports, with a respected industry identity saying legitimate compensation would cost billions.

Dr Peter Barnard has spent decades working in pivotal red meat industry roles, finishing with Meat & Livestock Australia as the general manager of international markets in 2015 before starting his own consultancy.

Delivering one of his trademark passionate speeches to a breakfast seminar at last week’s Lambex conference in Adelaide, he gave a call to arms for the industry to fight the Government’s recently legislated phase out of live sheep exports.

He said the industry needs to make sure the Government feels more political pain from banning live sheep exports than what they did when they banned live cattle exports in 2011.

He also took aim at the Government’s $107m compensation package, saying the figure was “a joke”.

“The $107m in compensation is a pittance,” Dr Barnard said.

“The Western Australian Government said it was going to cost $123m/year. You discount that over 25 years and it’s about $1.5b in compensation you need to break even.”

There was plenty of talk at Lambex about whether the Government was going to increase the amount of compensation offered to industry – with new agriculture minister Julie Collins telling Sheep Central she was wanting to engage the industry and WA Government before making decisions.

Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chief executive officer Mark Harvey-Sutton, who was at Lambex with the Keep the Sheep campaign, asked Dr Barnard if he thought it was worth the industry’s while to fight for a better package.

“I wouldn’t worry about the package because no amount of compensation would be sufficient to redress the damage that will be done to animal agriculture,” he said.

“The activists are going to get so much impetus if this policy is implemented, they are not going to stop there, they will just jump on to the next thing.

“Don’t worry about the compensation package, fight the big battle.”

Dr Barnard said the compensation package could not cover other critical roles the live export industry played.

“The processors have been enormously honest in this area and have said ‘we can’t pay the same prices that live exporters pay for your sheep – we pay about 15pc less than live exporters’,” he said.

“More important than the price impact, is the impact on risk. Live export, by providing an additional marketing option, is enormously beneficial in providing marketing options and controlling risks for producers in Western Australia.”

Industry urged to arm itself with facts

Dr Barnard’s speech was based on the four main arguments the Government and activists had been using to defend the live sheep phase out. He then presented the arguments to refute them all.

He said there was no evidence to back up the idea that the industry had lost its social license or that phasing live sheep exports would result in better animal welfare outcomes.

Dr Barnard was asked about the argument that sheep were likely to end up on roof racks or in car boots when they reached the Middle East. He said it was incorrect.

“The exporter is responsible for applying high standards of animal welfare right through to slaughter,” he said.

“If there are issues with animal welfare, the exporter gets hauled before the department and can potentially have its license taken away. That is why industry has invested so much, individual exporters put an enormous amount of investment into those overseas plants to make sure animal welfare standards are maintained.”

Call to arms for industry

Dr Barnard said he believed the industry could have the live export ban overturned.

“I am confident that if we act vigorously and if we act together that this policy can be overturned,” he said.

“After all, it was this industry that overturned the policy of the United States Government to restrict our exports of lamb at the start of the century.”

The industry has mobilised against the live sheep phase out, with the Keep the Sheep campaign taking up a trade stall at Lambex to gather more signatures in its petition against the policy.

Dr Barnard said it was important for individuals to support campaigns and do everything they can to raise the issue with the policy makers and the general public.

“Writing personalised letters to politicians is important. Don’t be disappointed if you get a standard reply, you will get a standard reply, it is making the noise that counts,” he said.

“Become actively involved in campaigns, whether it is the Keep the Sheep campaign or the Keep Farmers Farming campaign it is enormously important for you to become involved in them.

“Engage with the community, which is just having everyday conversations about the facts on live exports, the challenges with animal agriculture – just get people engaged. That will have a ripple effect across the community.”