IN its latest campaign against Western Australia’s live exports, RSPCA Australia has failed to consider local and international welfare issues, according to the Western Australian Farmers Federation (WAFarmers).
The association was responding to a report commissioned by the RSPCA claiming that stopping live exports would not hurt the WA economy significantly.
It urges, therefore, that live sheep exports be phased out over five years. (See details below).
In response, WAFarmers Meat Section President, Jeff Murray, noted that the WA livestock export industry contributes over $470 million to the WA economy, employs over 7,000 Western Australians, and significantly contributes to the welfare of their animals both locally and abroad.
“Live exports are an integral part of mixed farm enterprises in Western Australia, ensuring competition in the market place and allowing vital access to alternative markets, particularly in times of drought,” he says.
Mr Murray also highlighted that it is industry, not the RSPCA, which is currently investing in improving animal welfare of sheep in live export markets.
Funds spent by the RSPCA on its incomplete and assumptive report, would have been better invested directly in animal welfare.
“The report, compiled on the East Coast, was completed without any consultation with farmers, using selective desktop data,” Mr Murray says
“In pushing to cease live exports, RSPCA Australia is choosing to ignore that animal welfare would suffer, as the countries that would replace Australia in overseas markets don’t share Australia’s commitment to animal welfare.
“The WA live export industry remains committed to demonstrating world leading animal welfare practices.”
WAFarmers met with RSPCA Australia representatives on Friday to express its concerns and to emphasise its continued commitment to the WA livestock export industry.
WAFarmers says the report also has failed to consider:
• The economics of the proposed systems.
• The high level of commitment shown by farmers and industry towards animal welfare.
• The whole of the supply chain.
• Farm enterprise risk management.
• The complete impact on other commodities.
The report by ACIL Tasman (2009) is a review of adjustments that would be required if live exports ceased from WA.
This analysis has identified that, for an average WA mixed farming enterprise:
• Adjustments would be required by WA sheep producers, but they do not appear to be extensive compared to other structural adjustments already underway in the industry.
• The option to sell sheep to the live export trade is worth $2-$6 per wether or 3-7pc of total farm receipts.
• A transferable quota system during the phase-out period (5 years) would allow farmers to defer or offset some of their adjustment costs.
It says that, on average, 75-80pc of live sheep are exported from Western Australia to the Middle East where they are slaughtered according to religious custom.
Yes, for those involved in the trade, there are strong incentives to improve the health and mortality rates of sheep in transit, the report says.
However, the incentive to manage the health of the animal only extends to the point where the costs are lower than the economic benefits internal to the trade.
So this decision may not fully take into account all of the animal welfare concerns of the wider community.
The WA live export trade is seen as just one marketing option for the sheep enterprise that may or may not be used.
Removing this option would affect the breeding, genetic selection and pasture management decisions for the whole flock but the analysis claims it has identified that while adjustments would be required by WA sheep producers, they do not appear to be extensive compared to other structural adjustments already underway in the industry.
For mixed farming systems, which account for the majority of WA farm businesses, the report claims loss of the option to sell live export sheep is not likely to create a significant incentive to replace large areas of pasture with crop.
This is because other drivers of land use change are already providing this incentive - for example below average rainfall, declining wool prices, and higher productivity gains in cropping. (The survey was started in late 2008).
By phasing out the live sheep trade over a period of five years, the impact on the Australian economy would be $200 million, the report estimates.
A system could be established whereby WA sheep farmers are allocated an annual quota of sheep able to be supplied to the live export market, the report suggest.
Quotas bought would be freely transferable allowing farmers to sell their quota, or a portion of it, to other farmers.
This would allow those farmers most affected by the cessation of the trade to defer the majority of the costs of adjustment for as long as possible or allow farmers to use some of the efficiency gains of the quota system to offset some of the adjustment costs.
Click here to read the full ACIL Tasman report.
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