An open letter to Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt.
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The 120-year-old Wagin Agricultural Society organises the Wagin Woolorama which recently celebrated 50 years and is the largest agricultural show outside of the metropolitan area in Western Australia.
This sees the town of Wagin swell from a population about1800 to host up to 25,000 visitors.
Situated 230 kilometres south east of Perth, our economy is based on agriculture and therefore our entire town will rise and fall on the success of the industry as do most regional areas.
The number one object of our society is to promote the development of agricultural endeavour in rural Western Australia, with particular emphasis on regional enterprise.
We do this with pride and integrity and as such, fully support the live sheep export trade.
We find the cancellation of this industry deplorable.
We ask on what grounds you have made this decision?
If your reasoning is animal welfare related, we would like to remind you that the industry has diligently met and surpassed all the regulatory benchmarks imposed on us and has invested in the improvement of animal welfare handling at the receiving end.
Taking Australia out of the market will result in animals being sourced from other countries that do not meet our strict world-class export standards.
We fully support the live cattle trade that meets a world-class export standard, but question how do you discriminate against Western Australian farmers by cancelling their right to fulfill a viable and profitable industry such as the live sheep trade?
Where is your scientific evidence in your claim that cattle are tougher than sheep?
Western Australian farmers implement some of the most diverse business tactics in the country to ensure their viability and sustainability in these tough economic times, asking for nothing but a fair go.
You insult them by offering a one-off spend of $107million of Australian taxpayers' money to diversify their practices when the industry already contributes this on an annual average basis.
Your government talks itself up by introducing such wonders as promoting Australian made industries and yet you have, with a single blow, decimated a viable, productive and highly-sought after Australian made commodity.
Your complete disregard for our Western Australian farmers and the struggles they are currently facing in your role as the Federal Minister for Agriculture is nothing short of shameful.
The Wagin Agricultural Society and Woolorama Event proudly supports the entire agricultural sector which includes every country town in the State and insists that you reverse this misinformed decision to end our Live Sheep Export Industry.