IF THE COALTION wins government in the May elections, National Party leader David Littleproud says the first trip he will make will be to Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan to reaffirm Australia’s commitment to live sheep exports.
He told members of the National Party and representatives of the Keep The Sheep movement at Parliament House in Canberra that the Nationals had pledged to overturn the ban on live sheep exports if elected to government.
Mr Littleproud has been a critic of Labor’s plan to phase out the industry by 2028.
He said banning the export of live sheep by sea was “senseless”. In an earlier media release he emphasised the reforms that he said have made Australia’s sheep export trade world leading.
“We are going to bring back the live sheep exports. Australians don’t cut and run, but Albanese does. And what this will do is see the senseless death and horrific death of millions of sheep from other parts of the world because they don’t live by our standards,” Mr Littleproud said.
“We have the best animal welfare standards in the world and this market will continue, whether we’re there or not. This is about their food security and this is about their culture. And they’ve respected us in living up to the welfare standard that we’ve asked of them. And we should respect them.
“So our first piece of legislation that I’ll be writing is to reinstate the live sheep exports.
“And the first trip I’ll be doing is going to Qatar and Kuwait and Jordan.”
The ban on live sheep exports by sea, set to take effect on May 1, 2028, follows concerns over animal welfare, particularly after distressing footage surfaced in 2018 showing sheep suffering in extreme heat on export vessels.
The controversial ban is supported by animal welfare advocates and the Australian Greens, who want live exports ended sooner.
Sheep farmers and the Coalition though warn of economic consequences and job losses.
To ease the transition, the government has allocated $107 million to support affected industries. The legislation ensures that live sheep exports can continue without caps or quotas until the ban takes effect.
Western Australia, which accounts for 99% of Australia’s live sheep exports, will be most affected.
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