live exports

Today more than 2,000 farmers and their supporters stood on the lawns in front of Parliament House in Canberra to send a powerful message to the people who determine the policies that impact farmers’ livelihoods. They told them, farmers do not feel like they're being listened to, that their voices are being drowned out by activists with anti-farming agendas ... "there is a very simple thing we have to say: No farmers, no food": David Jochinke, NFF President.

ARR.News was approached by PETA with "a gripping and timely opinion piece from an undercover investigator who has firsthand experience of the live export industry..." The full, frank and fearless debate on this highly contentious issue continues here on ARR.News with further responses from both PETA and Trevor Whittington, CEO WAFarmers.

John Hassell. On 16 July members of the ‘Keep the Sheep’ group of industry peak bodies fighting to retain the live sheep trade signed off on a letter to the WA Minister for Agriculture, Jackie Jarvis, in response to the Albanese government's disgraceful vote to put live exports to the sword. Now I won’t print the whole letter, but it is worth knowing what WAFarmers, the Pastoralists and Graziers, WA Shearers, Livestock Transporters, Stud Marino Breeders and the Live Exporters Assn are asking in the letter, so I'll quote the key bits ...

National Farmers’ Federation President David Jochinke has labelled the Federal Government’s recent correspondence on the live cattle class action as an “appalling attack on victims”. In a letter the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus sent to the NFF and provided to media last week, the Government has accused the victims of trying to line their pockets.

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said Labor has turned its back on the farming industry today, after ignoring a delegation of Western Australian farmers and obtaining the numbers needed in the Senate to phase out live sheep exports. Mr Littleproud said Labor had once again treated farmers with contempt, ignoring pleas from groups including Keep the Sheep ... who spent the day at Parliament House in a last-ditch attempt to persuade Senators to save live sheep exports.

In a devastating blow to farming communities, Parliament tonight passed legislation to end the live sheep trade, disregarding proper process, extensive evidence and pleas from farmers across Australia. NFF President David Jochinke said the decision had been met with widespread dismay from farmers who had invested into significant reforms for the trade, resulting in world-leading animal welfare outcomes.

Well, thanks for coming today. It's important we've got Keep the Sheep Movement here. They have come from Western Australia. They're showing respect to this Parliament by coming in and trying to talk to Senators and give them the opportunity to learn of their lived experience of their livelihoods that are going to take to be taken away.

John Hassell. Western Australia’s farmers are facing ‘Walls of Legislation,’ which is exactly what our members and in fact every farmer across Australia are facing under this current federal government. Walls of Legislation… or as I prefer to call it, “Another Brick in the Wall, Stopping Farmers from Farming.”

House of Representatives. The Australian Parliament’s  Agriculture Committee  has presented its advisory report for its inquiry into the  Export Control Amendment (Ending Live Sheep Exports by Sea) Bill 2024, which will end the live sheep export trade by sea by 1 May 2028 ... Committee Chair,  Ms Meryl Swanson MP, said: ‘The bill fulfils the Albanese Government’s election promise to end the live export of sheep by sea while providing time and money for the orderly transition of industry to new avenues of production and trade.’