Nationals leader David Littleproud said the extra funding of $32.7m for the transition was ‘disingenuous’ and a future Coalition government would reinstate the live sheep export trade.
“Farmers don’t want compensation, they want their industry,” Mr Littleproud said.
“If they’re not in the industry, there will be the senseless death of millions of sheep from those countries who take up this market, that don’t have our animal welfare standards.
“As future agriculture minister, one of the first things I will do is travel to the Middle East to bring back confidence and restore trade relationships.
Mr Littleproud said the funding was a ‘mere PR exercise’ and did not help the 3000 farmers who had had their livelihoods taken away.
“I challenge the minister to travel to Katanning and do a public meeting and explain to these farmers why Labor is shutting down their industry,” he said.
“Since Labor’s previous announcement for a transition package of $107 million, which included just $64.6 million for sheep producers and the supply chain side, not one cent has gone to helping our live sheep farmers.”
Mr Littleproud said live sheep exports from Australia increased by 274,000 between 2022 and 2023 but that the WA flock was now expected to decrease by four million to eight million head by 2025.
He said WA would likely start seeing the closure of abattoirs.
“Labor has turned its back on the farming industry and... is bowing down to animal activists, even though Australia has the world’s best animal welfare standards.
“It is senseless to remove ourselves from the market, because the Middle East will simply find other markets which don’t have our high animal welfare standards.”
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