AUSTRALIA – The Western Australian Farmers Federation (Inc.) (WAFarmers) wants greater cooperation between industry and government to ensure the survival of Australia’s live export trade.
WAFarmers Meat Section President, Jeff Murray, said recent issues highlighted there were problems with the regulations in place, but producers were also suffering at the hands of the market.
“The high Australian Dollar is not helping our cause to remain competitive and the strict regulations are limiting the markets we can access, which creates more uncertainty for WA producers,†Mr Murray said.
“Western Australia is the major exporter of sheep out of Australia along with cattle and we need live exports to be in place to ensure farmer sustainability.â€
Following talks with Federal Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Joe Ludwig, last week, Mr Murray said there was a need for industry and government to work closer together to facilitate and maintain the live export trade.
“WAFarmers sees cooperation between industry and government as vital. We need to get producers, exporters and politicians on the same page. We need to work through any issues we are experiencing through strict regulations. We need to get this done quickly as the future of live exports depends on it,†he said.
“Recent incidents have caused a drop in the price at the saleyard which shows that farmers in Western Australia are struggling at the hands of these regulatory and market issues.
“Coupled with the dry season and reduced supermarket prices it is becoming tough for farmers to remain profitable and to feed our nation,†Mr Murray concluded.
Source: The Dairy Site