‘We got it wrong’: Head of Labor’s live sheep export ban consultation panel apologises after farmers snubbed

The head of Labor’s live sheep export phase-out consultation panel has apologised and admitted “we got it wrong” after farmers were not invited to critical meetings in regional WA this week, sparking outrage. The four-person panel began four days of consultation in WA’s sheep heartland on Monday, with stops in Moora, York, Narrogin, Wagin, Katanning, Cranbrook and Albany. But what was intended to be a low-key affair, involving small meetings with industry representatives, snowballed after details were leaked on social media at the weekend. Despite the short notice, busy farmers — who are in the midst of seeding — have been turning out in force to speak out against the Albanese Government’s policy and defend the embattled trade. Senior public servant Phillip Glyde — who was appointed chair of the panel in March by Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt — told reporters in Narrogin on Tuesday mistakes had been made. “We got it wrong with how we went about the live export consultation,” he said. “We thought we would reach out to grower groups and their networks so we could consult with them and they would feed that information back to their members. “That hasn’t gone so well and people have been very alarmed that this is the only opportunity to engage with the panel. It is not.” Federal Labor pledged to phase out the live sheep trade in the lead-up to last year’s May election, but has yet to announce a timeframe. The panel — which includes WA farmer Sue Middleton, former RSPCA chief executive Heather Neil and retired Northern Territory Labor MP Warren Snowdon — first visited WA in late March for private talks with farm lobby groups, live exporters and meat processors on how best to phase out the trade. Its second visit this week was intended to facilitate consultation with “targeted gatherings of producers and other relevant stakeholders”, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said. But Mr Glyde said no one would be turned away from the meetings, which have attracted crowds ranging from 80 to 120 farmers. “What we had planned was we had ID’d three grower groups, and we were expecting to meet with a smaller number of people, so we deliberately didn’t advertise,” he said. “I can see that has been quite a concern. . .We get the message we have done the wrong thing and we are here now so let’s make the most of it.” Meetings were planned for 11am in Katanning and 4.30pm in Cranbrook on Wednesday, with a 10am meeting in Albany on Thursday. The DAFF spokesman said “grower groups, meat processing groups and other businesses in the supply chain” were contacted in the fortnight before the visit. These included the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA, Facey Group, Women in Farming Enterprises, and WA Lot Feeders Association. But farmers were left fuming, with many — including Corrigin sheep producer Steven Bolt, director of The Livestock Collective and a prominent pro-live export campaigner — not finding out about the visit until the weekend. Mr Bolt accused DAFF of planning the meetings “through stealth”, while Nationals leader David Littleproud has labelled the panel “a sham”. Mr Littleproud said the failure to notify ordinary farmers of the visit showed Labor’s “absolute contempt” for the 3000 Australians — most of them in WA — employed in the live sheep trade supply chain. “Labor should know farmers in WA need to travel many hours to attend and most are in the middle of seeding,” he said. “You cannot organise meetings as important as this with this sort of notice. “If Murray Watt and the Albanese Government were so confident of their decision and the science behind it, then the minister should front public meetings himself and make sure it was genuine consultation. He should now show the courage to do that.” DAFF confirmed Senator Watt would not attend the meetings, while a spokeswoman for Jackie Jarvis said the WA Agriculture Minister — who has pledged her support for the trade — was not invited. Mr Littleproud said Mr Glyde had “admitted the phase-out meetings have been rushed”, referring to previous reports by Countryman. “Mr Glyde has also publicly admitted shutting down the live sheep export trade would adversely impact farmers, which makes Minister Watt’s process even more contemptuous,” he said. “WA Premier Mark McGowan has recently indicated support for the live sheep industry, given its reform, so it’s important he now puts some skin the game and brings his east coast counterparts to account.” York farmer Tony Seabrook, president of the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA, said the meetings “should have been better publicised” but urged farmers not to take out their frustration on the panel members. “I allowed myself the opportunity to get up, and I just explained to the people who were there, there’s no great value in being angry at these people,” Mr Seabrook said. “They can’t go back to the minister and say ‘we recommend you don’t shut down the trade’. “Their brief is simple, and they enunciated on a number of occasions that they are just there to work out the pathway towards the closure of the trade. “The essence of this is that we need to get the Labor party to drop this policy from their platform in the lead-up to the next election; and that’s going to require vigorous, active lobbying by grower groups.” The panel must submit a report to Senator Watt by September 30, but when asked on Tuesday whether it would be made public, Mr Glyde said he did not know. “We would like it (the report) to be made public, that is a decision for the minister to make. . . I would have thought it would be essential for it to be made public,” Mr Glyde said. “We have no ability to make it public before it goes to the minister. But we need to make sure the report is as accurate as possible.”