In July last year Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt told Australia’s caged egg producers their industry would be phased out by 2036.

The industry’s leaders and supporters reacted to the 13-year timeline with outrage, saying they needed more time to adjust, and called for the deadline to be extended at least until 2046.

By comparison, the Albanese Government has given sheep producers just four years to adjust to the loss of the live sheep export trade by sea.

ALEC CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton addressing last week’s ‘Keep the Sheep’ rally in Perth.

It wants the industry to cease completely by May 1, 2028.

Its four-year phaseout decision followed a report by the independent panel on the phaseout of live sheep exports by sea stating that 10 years “would not create an incentive for businesses to adjust or investments to occur”.

In arriving at that conclusion the panel ignored advice from a review commissioned by the Department which recommended “an 8-to-12 year” time frame, in the event the Government decided to push ahead with a phaseout.

The four-year time frame ultimately announced by Murray Watt was met with shock by the industry.

The National Farmers Federation called the four-year timelines “radical” and an “express train to disaster”, warning it “would spell catastrophe for farming communities, for animal welfare, and for Australia’s global trading partnerships”.

In response to Beef Central’s query about the difference in timelines this morning, a Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry spokesperson said the two industries were “not comparable in any way”:

“The consideration of and decisions regarding the phase out of conventionally caged eggs and the phase out live sheep exports by sea were separate processes and are not comparable nor linked in any way.

“It follows that the phase out conditions are different in each case as, for example, the industries, markets, and issues are different. The two are not comparable.”

Australian Livestock Exporters Council CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton told Beef Central this week that “even more galling” has been the Federal Government’s assertion that the $107 million support package for the industry is “generous”.

Only approximately $60m of the packaged had been earmarked for transition funding that will go directly to industry, Mr Harvey-Sutton said.

“This is only $15m per year over the next for years is supposed to support farmers, processing capacity and rural businesses.

“No wonder the package has been soundly rejected by the industry.

“The Government has failed to look after anyone other than activists in their transition package.

“It goes a long way to explain why we saw 2000 vehicles, in a convoy over 20km long, roll through Perth last Friday.

“Quite simply, people want their legitimate industry to continue. They can expect to see a lot more of that if this legislation passes. The industry will not back down.”