THE Federal Government yesterday shocked many in the cattle industry when it announced it had done a deal with the Greens to overhaul the country’s environmental laws.
Murray Watt
The shocking part of the deal was that virtually no detail had been given about what the new laws will mean for ongoing agricultural practices before they passed the senate to be put into legislation.
Another shocking factor for business groups, both agricultural and non-agricultural, was that they were expecting more negotiation with the Coalition and less of a rushed path through to legislation. A deal with the Greens was worst-case scenario for many.
As shocking as yesterday’s deal may be, it should come as no surprise to the cattle industry.
The Labor Government has shown contempt for agriculture since it was elected in 2022, passing laws make it harder for businesses and limiting the industry’s ability to have its say on legislation.
Shortly after it was elected, the Labor Government announced it had plans phase out the live sheep export industry. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and then-agriculture minister Murray Watt travelled to Beef 2024 in Rockhampton, enjoyed the industry’s hospitality and made speeches wherever they could without taking any questions.
They then flew over to Perth and abruptly announced the end of the live sheep export industry.
The Government then brought in new climate reporting rules, that are set to cost the industry millions and impact almost all producers. The laws were passed into legislation almost un-noticed by the industry, as they were waved through with support from Teals and Greens.
As Beef Central reported, many large producers who are set to be directed impacted by climate reporting were unaware of the new laws six months after they had passed.
Then in July this year, the Government announced it will loosen the requirements for United States beef to come into Australia – after pressure from the US President Donald Trump and the US cattle industry.
Again, the local Australian cattle industry was barely consulted and still has concerns that equivalent standards are not in place in the US.
As Australian Live Exporters’ Council chief executive officer Mark Harvey-Sutton said at the Livexchange conference in Perth this week no amount of science or reasoning was going to change Labor’s mind about live sheep exports, “it was politics, it was politics, it was politics.”
Where to now for environmental laws?
As this separate story in Beef Central today highlights, there are lessons to be learned out of the Keep the Sheep campaign that ensued to try and save the live sheep export industry.
While it ultimately failed in getting the policy repealed, it demonstrated widespread community support for both agriculture and the live export industry. The industry plans to use that support as a blueprint to secure the future of live cattle exports.
Some have suggested that the cattle industry needs to take a similar approach on environmental issues like the laws that were passed yesterday. Although it must be said some producers have been trying to get on the front foot in recent years.
Environmental groups, such as the Australian Conservation Foundation, who have largely pushed the Government to reform the environmental laws have been spending a lot of money and time pushing their agenda both in Canberra and through advertising and media campaigns – similar to the RSPCA with live export.
But the Keep the Sheep campaign demonstrated that support for these groups opposed to the industry can be overstated and support for agriculture can be understated.
it takes 3 years from decision making to producing a stèer that when butchered will feed a small family for about 2 years. during those years a lot money and labour is needed. the sale price of the animal is then equivalent to about 12 hours of a trades labour. one does not need to be Rhodes scholar to understand that this situation is Not Sustainable. if people do not value and respect their daily food, they will inevitably go very hungry for a very very very long time. the people with the know how to produce such extraordinary high quality and cheap food are rapidly dying out. their skills are not being passed on sufficiently. the day of reckoning is very very close. enjoy your toys, your parties, your games, cars, etc etc, and just continue to ignore the fact that the elderly who produce your food, may not be around much longer. neither an algorithm, a bucket of money, nor Google, or ai can produce a reliable ongoing food supply. we producers know that we'll, you the increasingly hungry will know it soon enough.
I am not surprised the labor/greens government did this. It has cost them next to no votes, the majority of people will not care as the opinion on this subject of the average urban person holds no value to them. It costs them nothing.
I suppose the irony of all this is, those with the best country say the best brigalow bottle tree scrub in Queensland, who totally decimated it and kept it clean are the clear winners. While those with marginal country that spend large sums trying to tame the relentless regrowth are the losers.
But it also does ask the question, is the federal government effectively confiscating the vegetation landholders own and therefore subject to compensation or the laws are unconstitutional.
This is what a weak opposition leads to. The coalition has for many years been anti agriculture as well. Tree removals, cattle monitoring etc all have been under the Nationals watch. Farming nowadays is admin that intrudes into every aspect of production. Drones to check you are not clearing the wrong regrowth, putting in a dam on your own land etc. The ultimate betrayal is land being taken out of production for renewables - labor and coalition both support this. Start voting for political parties that put agriculture and farmers interests first. Bring back the Cattlemen's Union and be prepared to fight for your rights.
Labor, the Greens and Teals have no interest or care for regional Australia. Why? Simple; the party which wins the most seats Governs. The number of seats in capital and large cities in Australia far outnumber those in regional Australia. Why would any Government care about regional Australia? Only one - the Greens. The Greens which prefetenced Labor second in the last election. Which is why Labor is now acquiescing to every whim of the Greens in relation to regional Australia becoming a grazier free, mining free, development free, prosperity free zone.
Get used to American beef, Indonesian, Chinese and Indian imported produce if Labor and the Greens are permitted to destruct Australia's regional assets further.
Would someone please outline the changes that are going to affect livestock industries ?
<strong>Trying to find out more Cameron and will have an article in the next day-or-so. Part of the issue is a lack of detail from the Government on this. Eric
This labour government have no feelings for rual Australia. When we run out of food they might wake up when it is too,too late
I'm a climate scientist and meteorologist. Net Zero and greenhouse gas emissions laws are completely misguided and unnecessary simply because Australia's emissions are so incredibly low they have no impact on the global greenhouse effect. One wonders where groups such as ACC and the government and Greens have gained such stupid information.
<strong>For readers unaware, Roger Stone is a respected climatologist based at the University of Southern Queensland. Editor
Australian agr can hold its head high as so many cases of biodiversity &conservation innovation have occurred in the decades just past , inspite of all levels of govt .
it's a sad realatity that agricultural critics mostly have no fat in the game, and yet they benefit by the fruits of agriculture's endeavours.
irrespective of political preferences it beholders the electorate to reflect on what's important , the big picture of feed and clothing the world or narrowly focused wantobe self indulgences.
support the next generation of enthusiastic agricultural managers as they continue to grow on the wise decisions of their forbears, adapting and growing the science that underpins good long term agricultural practices and management
Why is ot a surprise that Labor & the Greens set such policies. They simply have no regard for rural Australia & farmers of every juristiction.
I agree no regard for the industry. meat and vegies.
you can't eat good intentions.
No surprise
No opposition in place
LNP is a shambles
The old Country Party had my clout for the bush
Morrison lost our export market to China all credit to current government for reopening
The Greens will do anything to stop methane, that means no cattle, no dairy, no milk, no dairy products just because they dont want it. What about families and industry. They are Selfish and scary.
Whitlam was the first Labour Prime Minister I remember, he continually sledged our Armed Forces and was rightly sacked by the Queen.
Then came Hawke, the ex head of the ACTU, after coming into power as a so called friend of the working man, he broke the Pilots strike by allowing overseas Pilots in.
After which there was Keating, ( I need to mention Hawke and Keating stabbed each other in the back, a lot, eventually Keating was the better stabber and took over), he didn't and still doesn't like Australia.
Enter Rudd, a likable bumbling individual who was stabbed in the back by Gillard so she could gain office.
Her contribution was chaos, Rudd managed to stab her in the back and regain control, the whole affair was something akin to a Kath and Kim episode.
We are now suffering through Albanese, an insipid bloke that is hell bent on destroying anyone or anything Australian.
Albeit the above appears amusing, be assured it is not, everytime Labour is elected and then dumped it takes Australia years to recover.
This Government is just as bad as Jacinda's lot were in NZ.Riding roughshod over the very people that are vital to the feeding of the population and producing exports.
The live sheep export ban imposed by Minister Watt was supported into legislation by the animal justice party with just over 5000 members in our population of 27.5m. That’s not even 0.2 of 1%.
The Labour Party wanted its labour laws to pass and minister Watt will do anything to achieve their agenda. Those same labour laws are now underpinning our inflationary issues and interest rate hikes to come.
Agriculture in Australia needs to get organised, have a voice again- we do have a lot of city based support but these minority groups are well organised - collaborate and do deals single mindedly without fear of unintended consequences which is perfect fodder for Albo and his agent minister Watt.
The consequences of taking livestock out of our production systems is a looming environmental disaster, but this has had little to no airplay. We have many Ag entities funded to fight for the Australian rural way of life- they need to stop squabbling, we need to hold them to account or redirect funding. We need to join together in a common message that our city cousins can hear, logical, sound and common sense - it’s up to us.
well they have stuffed our manufacturing base in australia and they have been slowly but surely stuffing our mining of ore and now minerals by giving it away and now finally after years of smashing our farmers with all sorts of taxes to eliminate them from being primary producers for our country they seem to be winning as our farmers just are not getting the bloody support from the citizens of Australia. Its not a matter of "she'll be right mate " anymore its time we go rid of these damned nincanpoops that run our country into the ground
we need strong dedicated Australian believers who have a strong desire to build Australia 🇦🇺 for who she is and stands for
Please stop this total stupidity and get some Genuine Politicians to work for US not for other countries whims
True Blue 👍
This government has to go. They are pushing policies not even mentioned during election. Destroying agriculture and farmers livelihood. Being lapdogs to China and the Us. Very unAustralian.
this government has to go! Don't understand basic economics. Can't spend more than you earn. Public sector too big and a lot of "Dead Wood". Australia needs to be focused on exporting food @ fibre as well as mineral resources. Selective immigration... not too hard is it.
let's face it, this Govt. is city centric, & thus it's supported by huge numbers.
City dwellers need to be educated/ informed on what the regional areas contribute to Country & Community. You have to be in their face all the time, not just when an adverse issue pops up.
The Greens policies proved to be very unpopular at the last election right across Australia. Labour vote dropped in Queensland where this legislation is going to have a big impact. WWF, Australian conservation council and other groups seem to be more important to the Labor party than the people they were elected to represent. When regional Australia prospers , Australia prospers, our current group of federal politicians seem to be clueless to these basic facts. The Albanese government needs to govern for the people they were elected to represent not the ideology of lobby groups pushing an agenda.
Curse the Teals and Greens with their anti agricultural attitude
Australia will never go ahead while we are governed by a Labor/Greens coalition.
Productivity will continue to fall and we will end up a Third World economy.
Don't forget the roll the LNP played in all this by (up until the last election) preferencing labor and in a couple of instances(i believe) The Greens above One Nation. I am a life member of Qld National Party and are disgusted with the lack of integrity by these acts of betrayal. Our mortal enemies are labor and green idiology not the right wing policy of One Nation. Littleproud and his mates will end up paying for this stupidity and the way they treated Barnaby. Reckon this will cost them at least one Senate seat if not more.
Good letter.
Should be front page of all the major newspapers.