Hundreds of trucks and farm vehicles have snarled through Perth’s CBD honking horns in a large-scale rally to oppose the end of the live sheep export trade.
Traffic moved to a crawl on some of Perth’s major roads as trucks entered the city from four outer-suburban locations.
The action was called after the federal government introduced legislation to formalise the end date for the export of live sheep by sea from Australia, effective from May 2028.
One of the convoy’s organisers Peter Warburton said it was about farmers “standing up to the government” to try to overturn the decision.
“We’re all getting sick and tired of being told what to do and how to do it,” he said.
“We’re here to stand up and show the government that we do listen and we’ve been doing the best way and you guys need to stand up and listen now.”
When asked if he was concerned the rally would frustrate members of the community, Mr Warburton said he wasn’t worried.
“It could turn a percentage [against us],” he said.
“But I hope they all go back on their social medias and their Google searches and type in ‘Keep the Sheep’ and see what we’re actually doing as an industry.”
Another organiser Paul Brown, who is a former Nationals MP, said it was the final straw for rural communities across Western Australia.
“We’re just saying enough is enough, we won’t stand for this, we want the legislation revoked,” he said.
Organisers have told the ABC they believe more than 1,700 vehicles have taken part.
Traffic on the usually busy roads was slowed but not severely impacted as the convoy largely stayed to one lane.
“It’s certainly an indication of the disgust that we have with the Albanese government decision to ban live sheep exports, we will not stand for it,” Mr Brown said.
He said the event was respectful and he didn’t think there had been much disruption in the city.
Industry in decline
WA accounts for almost all of the nation’s live sheep exports, an industry valued about $85.2 million.
According to the federal agricultural department, it is an industry in decline with the volume and value of exports significantly down since the peak in the early 2000’s.
In 2021-22, Australia exported around 489,000 live sheep, representing just one per cent of the country’s total value of Australia’s sheep meat and wool exports.
The three largest export destinations were Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel.
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt pitched it as “mapping out a plan for the future of the sheep industry”, while meeting an election commitment and bringing an end to a practice which had lost the support of the community.
“We took this policy to the last election, it was endorsed by the Australian people and largely by the Western Australian people,” he said on Friday.
“We know from surveys that this policy has the overwhelming support of West Australians.”
Farmers warn of ‘domino effect’
Cattle farmer Sharyn Hopkins drove up from Busselton in support of the convoy.
While the Federal Government’s ban only effects the live sheep export trade, she fears for her future.
“We’re cattle farmers, we’ve got trucks that we transport animals with — if they’re going to do that to live sheep then there could be cattle next,” she said.
“If you haven’t got farmers to spend money in your produce stores or in your sports community then it just becomes a bigger ban — it’s a domino effect.
“We’ve seen communities become ghost towns because people have had to leave because there’s no industry there anymore — we don’t want that to happen.”
Mr Watt rejected concerns the policy would result in population decline across regional communities.
“I don’t believe that this means that regional towns shrink. What we expect to happen as a result of this is many more jobs created in meat processing, and that is where the growth in this industry is happening,” he said.
“This industry is 90 per cent smaller than it used to be 20 years ago and at the same time, we’re seeing sheep meat exports go through the roof. That’s where the opportunity is.”
The protest officially ended in Muchea, where drivers gathered to discuss the morning’s events.
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