Consultation on how and when to phase out the export of live sheep by sea has closed. The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator the Hon Murray Watt and Independent Panel thank all those who provided feedback on this topic.
Overview
The Australian Government committed to phasing out the export of live sheep by sea in the 2022 election.
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator the Hon Murray Watt appointed an Independent Panel in March 2023 to consult and provide advice on how and when a phase out could be implemented.
This page contains information considered by the Independent Panel and the process taken to develop its findings and recommendations.
The Independent Panel was composed of:
- Mr Phillip Glyde (Chair)
- The Hon Warren Snowdon
- Ms Sue Middleton
- Ms Heather Neil.
Terms of reference for consultation on phase out of live sheep exports by sea (PDF 237 KB)
Terms of reference for consultation on phase out of live sheep exports by sea (DOCX 210 KB)
The Independent Panel provided its report, Independent Panel Report: Phase Out of the Live Sheep Exports by Sea, to the Australian Government on 25 October 2023. A copy of this report and information on the Australian Government response to the Independent Panel’s report and next steps is available on the department’s website.
Who engaged
The Independent Panel consultation engaged:
- Farmers
- Farm advocacy groups
- Livestock exporters
- Animal welfare organisations
- Researchers, development corporations, and academics
- First Nations People
- Government organisations and representatives
- Supply chain groups (shearers, vets, transport operators, fodder growers and operators, and sheep buyers)
- Community organisations
- Trading partners
- Members of the public.
How you had your say
Thank you to all those who responded to the Have Your Say consultation opportunity on the phase out of live sheep exports by sea.
You gave feedback to the Independent Panel through:
- face-to-face meetings
- virtual meeting
- an online survey
- written submissions.
An update from the Independent Panel consulting on the phase out of live sheep exports by sea provides an overview of what was said during the consultation. It includes information on stakeholder engagement, what the Panel heard, information on market trends, as well as stakeholders' suggestions.
Meetings
The Independent Panel held 96 stakeholder meetings, hosted 14 public forums and 8 online forums.
Public virtual forums
Friday 12 May Teams live broadcast
Download transcript
Broadcast Session 1 - Program overview transcript (DOCX 248 KB)
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Monday 15 May Teams live broadcast
Download transcript
Broadcast Session 2 - Program overview transcript (DOCX 255 KB)
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Submissions received
The panel received more than 800 written submissions.
A list of submissions received is available to view [PDF 688 KB] | [DOCX 221 KB].
Submissions, for which people have given publication permission, have been divided into 3 groups.
Submissions received from:
- Individuals
- Organisations, and
- Deidentified (personal details confidential)
Hundreds of submissions have been received. Submissions are sorted alphabetically in zip folders noting downloadable file size.
The submissions are published in accordance with the privacy declaration completed by the person making the submission. The submissions provided to the department by third parties have been published in PDF format. The submissions marked entirely confidential have not been published. If you would like to switch your permission to publish (i.e. make it public, or deidentify your personal details, or make it entirely confidential) please email livesheep.phaseout@aff.gov.au with your request.
Reports received
The Panel considered a wide variety of information, analysis and data throughout consultation. Several reports were commissioned by the Panel to inform its deliberations, including:
-
Phasing out live sheep exports from Australia; Strategies to target minimal impact upon farmers and supply chain participants - Episode 3 Pty Ltd, July 2023 [PDF 14.4 MB] | [Word 7.3 MB]
- Responding to regional transitions; Australian live sheep export transition - Regional Australia Institute, August 2023 [PDF 1.1 MB] | [Word 1.8 MB]
-
Literature review on the live sheep export industry - Pegasus Economics, June 2023 [PDF 901 KB] | [Word 98 KB]
-
Review of assumptions in reports on the live sheep export industry - Pegasus Economics, June 2023 [PDF 689 KB] | [Word 65 KB]
-
Index of major issues addressed in reports - Pegasus Economics, June 2023 [PDF 96 KB] | [Word 53 KB]
Note: reports commissioned by the Panel were prepared by the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Independent Panel nor the Commonwealth.
The Panel also drew on analysis and data developed by ABARES.
- Phase out of live sheep exports by sea; Background information and analysis - Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, March 2023 [PDF 369 KB] | [Word 3.5 MB]