Hillside Meat Processors to donate one dollar for every sheep sold to the Keep the Sheep campaign

WA’s Hillside Meat Processors has joined a series of local businesses throwing their support behind the Keep the Sheep campaign, pledging to donate one dollar for every sheep sold over the hooks from its Narrogin facility during July. Hillside Meat representative Campbell Ferris said WA’s sheep market needed the live sheep trade to maintain balance. “We know that a viable sheep flock in Western Australia needs both live exports and onshore meat processing. This isn’t an either/or choice,” he said. “What we do know is that if you take out the competition that live export provides for sheep farmers, we’ll have fewer sheep farmers and a smaller flock. “Plain and simple. That’s going to make it harder to run our local business.” Lake King Tavern, Spencers Brook Tavern and the Dongara Hotel/Motel are among other local businesses to pledge support to the pro-live export campaign by donating funds to the cause. “The community spirit’s huge ... everywhere i go now, everyone’s talking about it,” campaign spokesperson Ben Sutherland said. Mr Sutherland, who is also a livestock transporter, welcomed the support so far and said the impact caused by a potential live sheep export ban could not be understated. “Everyone in the industry — and we are one industry — knows how these pieces all fit together,” he said. “You take one piece out and everyone suffers — the farmers, the shearers, the truckies, the livestock agents, and the regional towns that depend on a strong sheep and wool industry.” Since the campaign’s inception on May 31, Keep the Sheep has garnered over 61,000 signatures and raised over $365, 000.