“Rubbing salt in farmers’ wounds”: Member for Roe Peter Rundle rails against live sheep export ban

Member for Roe and Katanning farmer Peter Rundle has criticised the Federal Government’s sheep export ban, calling the move “devastating” for the agricultural regions. Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt announced a phase-out plan for the live export industry, which is worth millions to the WA economy, in Perth on Saturday to the surprise of State Treasurer Rita Saffioti who revealed on Sunday she wasn’t told before she handed down her State Budget just days earlier. As part of his announcement, Mr Watt said a $107 million fund would help the industry transition before the May 1, 2028 deadline, but Mr Rundle, who is also deputy leader of the Nationals, said the announcement was “rubbing salt in the wounds” of farmers who are already struggling. “Many farming families are already quite fragile with this long dry season, and to load people up with this in the middle is absolutely horrible,” he told the Herald on Monday. “You really can’t underestimate the devastating flow-on effects to our regional community. “It’s not just sheep producers and our supply chain affected, but the business community in our regional towns, the hundreds of jobs lost and millions of dollars that depend on them. “I’m very disappointed that the State Government doesn’t recognise the gravity of the situation.” Mr Rundle said the ban would cost the WA economy an estimated $123m a year, 400 jobs across the regions, plus a 15 per cent decrease in flock size, as well as hitting other massive industries, like the $700m wool industry. He believes the ban is a political move by the Federal Labor Party that is designed to appeal to metropolitan voters in the Eastern States. “The Federal Government is looking at securing the inner city votes in Melbourne and Sydney rather than what the people in the regions of WA need,” he said. “They are shoring up their votes with the animal activists over east rather than concerning themselves with the mental health and livelihoods of farming families in places like Katanning or Kojonup. “Being a farmer myself, I know the challenges you get in a season and I’m worried, I’m worried about our regions.” The Federal Government insists the live export trade is in terminal decline, pointing to a fall in the value of exports from $415m in 2002-2003 to $77m in 2023. On Tuesday, Nationals leader David Littleproud called on farmers to march on the steps of Parliament House in Canberra to protest the decision, which he described as an “affront to agriculture”. “There’s no point protesting in Katanning or protesting in Deniliquin . . . they need to come to Canberra and they need to show the militancy of Australian agriculture,” Mr Littleproud said. Mr Rundle will speak in Parliament on this matter on Tuesday.