Parliamentary Questions

(1) Is the minister aware of the recently released ACIL Tasman report of September 2009, in which it is revealed that a sheep processed domestically is worth 20 per cent more to the Australian economy than a sheep exported live?

(2) Is the minister aware of the ACIL Tasman report of March 2009, in which it was determined that sheep meat exports are four times more valuable to the Australian economy than live sheep exports, and that in 2008 Australia exported $1.5 billion worth of sheep meat and only $341 million worth of live sheep?

(3) How will the minister address the weakening of economic resilience in rural communities in light of recent trends in Western Australian agriculture that have seen an increase in live exports at the expense of the local meat processing industry?

(4) Is it a requirement under Australian legislation that animals in Australian abattoirs are to be stunned prior to slaughter so that the animal is ensured a rapid death without unnecessary suffering?

(5) Will the minister report to Parliament how many of the five million Australian sheep, cattle and goats sent to slaughter houses in the Middle East last year were stunned prior to slaughter?

Hon ROBYN McSWEENEY replied:

I thank the honourable member for the question.

(1) Yes, but I would like to point out that the Western Australian sheep industry is structured quite differently from the industry in the rest of Australia. The value of Western Australian sheep livestock exports in 2008-09 was reported as $260 million, while the value of sheep and lamb processed in Western Australia was $236 million. The value of sheep livestock exports significantly exceeds the value of domestically processed sheep in Western Australia. The livestock export sector in Western Australia also supports 1 500 jobs for Western Australians, which is very important.

(2) Yes, but again it can be misleading to use whole-of-Australia averages and assume that this is the case in Western Australia. Western Australia has approximately 75 per cent of the sheep livestock export market due to its proximity to the Middle East. This provides a comparative advantage over other states more distant from these markets. It also produces a major economic benefit to local farmers, as livestock export trade sale prices underpin sheep prices generally in Western Australia. These are currently at record levels.

(3) The agricultural industries of Western Australia are in fact very resilient. They use world-class production systems and have enjoyed excellent global prices in recent years. There are, overall, strong upward trends in economic returns from sheep meat, livestock export and wheat production in this state. It is my intention to support the sheep industry and other agricultural industries by providing a suitable market, an industry-led operating environment, access to quality research and development advances and by reducing red tape for agricultural developments of significance. I refute the assertion that there is a weakening of resilience in the agricultural regions. Furthermore, it is not the government’s intention to directly manipulate markets or industry as proposed by the ACIL Tasman report.

(4) Australian legislation requires animals to be stunned prior to slaughter. There are approved arrangements for religious slaughter that allow small numbers of animals to be killed without stunning. There is none of these arrangements in Western Australia.

(5) In general, halal killing procedures practised in the Middle East do not involve stunning prior to slaughter. It is not a simple matter to transfer Australian standards and practices overseas into sovereign countries. I am aware of significant efforts being made by LiveCorp, Meat and Livestock Australia and the federal government to continually improve the welfare of exported livestock. These improvements include upgrades to slaughtering facilities in receiving countries, low-stress animal handling training, improved receiving facilities and provision of technology such as improved slaughtering crates for cattle. The Australian government and other involved agencies, including the Western Australian government, will strive to continually improve animal welfare in receiving countries.