RECAP: Breaking news from the Muresk parliamentary hearing into Federal Labor’s live sheep export ban

Inquiry chair Meryl Swanson has closed proceedings thanking the local community for hosting the committtee who have “listened intently” to the evidence presented.

And while it’s also goodbye from us here at The Countryman for this live blog, log onto countryman.com.au for more live export news and updates on the phase-out from our team as they happen.

WA member and inquiry deputy chair Rick Wilson questioned the RSPCA over the methodology of a widely-referenced survey undertaken on their behalf, but was told that the survey was undertaken by the national RSCPA body and not the WA body.

His line of questioning was labelled by fellow committee member Brian Mitchell as “hostile”.

Mr Wilson is not the first to question the survey, which has defended by Mr Watt.

RSPCA WA chair Lynne Bradshaw is the first cab off the rank in this session.

She starts by reiterating that the RSPCA’s psotion is based on animal welfare, “a position that has not changed in the decades we have spent campaining to end live export by sea.”

“We know how well farmed animals are cared for in WA,” she said.

“But this is not about what happens to animals in Australia.

“Many progressive famrers have already moved away from live export.”

Saying that the organistion welcomed the four year phase out time line and the assistance package attached to the bill, she added that “this amount of time and money is not afforded to other industries” when they faced change: “I urge them to make the most of it.”

Ultimately, she said, “science shows no amount of regulation can make the trade acceptable. “

As the afternoon has worn on tensions have started to rise slightly, with inquiry chair Meryl Swanson having to call the room to order relatively firmly ahead of the RSPCA WA and Stop Live Export giving evidence.

MP Tania Lawrence, in questioning the councils on their estimated effects of the ban, was met with a ripple of laughter when she asked: “‘How do you come to such doomsday figures?”

She was referencing the claim that there would be a 50 per cent decline in the sheep industry and added that she was getting conflicting infomration with meat processors saying they were struggling to keep up with demand, which didn’t match with the shires’ pessimism.

Shire of Northam president Chris Antonio is a sheep producer himself, and says that confidence in the industry is so low “we’re struggling to get rid of our sheep”.

Shre of Katannig CEO Peter Klein detailed his concerns for his community, saying he’d seen a previous town he’d worked within “lose the bank” and even “lose the football team” and he feared he’d see a repeat.

“Many of our communities are on a knife-edge,” he said.

“Government would want a water-tight reason for taking it (live export) from us. And quite simple, there isn’t.

“I’m not being negative, I’m being realistic”.

NEWROC’s Caroline Robinson has, as expected, confirmed they do not support the phase-out, quoting their own research which predicts there could be a loss of 50 per cent of producers from the industry in their area.

They say the effect will be to rip $128 million out of the economy directly and a futher $35 million in household expenditure.

Additionally, much as WAMIA did earlier this afternoon, she also was firm that the transition package set out by the Federal Government is “absolutely not enough”.

It’s been a busy news week for the agricultural sector in WA, with all eyes on live export, so it’s understandable if you’ve missed bits.

Here are just two items to help give some more context to the debate playing out at the inquiry today. But for all your daily agricultural news, don’t forget The Countryman team have you covered over at their site

We’re nearing another break in Northam with the North Eastern Wheatbelt Regional Organisation of Councils (NEWROC) and Shires of Wagin, Katanning and Northam set to appear from 3.45pm.

If you were keen for a sneak peek of what they are likely to touch upon, the NEWROC submission explains that it represents Local Government areas that are home to over 400,000 sheep.

They claim the sheepflock in the NEWROC region supports 180 local businesses and represents as much as 9 per cent of economic output in the Local Government areas (producing a gross value of over $18.7m).

The news as far as they report isn’t good if the aim is to improve farmer confidence in sheep: “NEWROC anecdotally believes the flock size will decrease more than 50 per cent and this impactwill be significantly larger.”