Laura Newell: Live sheep export fight can’t be left solely to our farmers

Usually found sporting high heels (in which I can traverse cobblestones without missing a beat), a black suit and with an intense aversion to anything green or flora on account of atrocious seasonal allergies, I am your classic city girl. When it comes time to relax, I’d rather sip a cocktail than slip on hiking boots. Nature trails, a short hike? Not on your nelly. In fact, my preference of city over country is now a standing joke among family and friends who long ago gave up on invitations to anywhere there might be mud. So it came as no surprise to those who know me well that when my darling daughter last month announced she wanted to become a Scout, I agreed, but with one proviso — her father would be flying solo on any camping duties. Unless a campsite has an adjoining five-star hotel with roll-top baths and 24-hour room service, I’m out. With all of this in mind, it’s with trepidation that I now write about a topic that is entirely about the country — live export. But I’m emboldened by the knowledge I may well be among only a handful of people in Australia to have read cover-to-cover the independent panel report into the phasing out of live sheep exports by sea — sadly, without a G&T in hand. For the benefit of those who have enough of a life that they haven’t read the 214-page report — dated October last year, but only released to the public (and the State Government, apparently) last month — I’ll summarise it with a comparison to drinking an espresso martini: you go in thinking you’ll love it and come out with a bitter aftertaste as you realise it’s just a bad idea. Let’s start by making one thing crystal clear: this isn’t a phase out, it’s a hard stop. Additionally, let’s get real and acknowledge it’s a Federal policy that is really all about WA and its regions that are already suffering on a number of fronts. And, if we can all be honest for a minute, it’s also a policy potentially already badly behind schedule with a very tight turn-around, all sparked by (reasonable on the face of it) concerns over animal welfare on long boat journeys. While the panel report makes plausible suggestions as to how a phase-out can be done without entirely devastating WA’s sheep farmers, the real world isn’t playing ball. And, when push comes to shove, I’m not entirely persuaded the alternatives to live export will be any better for animal welfare — something farmers also care about passionately. Alongside greater meat processing capabilities, access to markets that want pre-processed meat, cold storage facilities and increased use of feedlots, the panel suggests a heck of a lot of financial and physical support to allow farmers to pivot effectively in the hopes they won’t abandon the industry in droves. But the elephant in the room, which the report acknowledges but offers no ideas on how to solve, is that almost all of these plans require large numbers of skilled workers and affordable places to house them. WA, and particularly regional WA, isn’t exactly swimming in those commodities right now and any spare that exists are quickly snapped up by our well-paying mining industry. All of this will likely be the main substance of the hastily convened Federal parliamentary inquiry into laws to ban the trade, which will hold its only two public hearings this week, starting in Canberra on Wednesday before shifting to the Wheatbelt town of Muresk on Friday. Suffice to say, the submissions so far paint a bleak picture of a devastating ripple effect should the ban come into force, with its effects to be felt far beyond the farm gate. So much so, it’s clear it can’t just be our farmers in this fight. Us city-dwellers are going to need to get our hands dirty, too, using the inquiry as a chance to learn about what the end of live sheep export in just four years will really do to our State. As you do so, I won’t blame you if you need a stuff drink to come to terms with the grim reality that awaits.