Live-ex regulators cop barraging from both sides

Forced to defend themselves against an avalanche of heated questioning in senate hearings this week, bureaucrats from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment's live export division spelt out the fine balancing act now required to keep the live sheep business going.

The department's review of live sheep exports to the Middle East during the Northern Hemisphere summer, released as a draft report, was ripped apart by politicians both supporting live-ex and those wanting to shut it down.

DAWE staff were accused of failing to protect animal welfare but also of putting no thought into recommendations that would have enormous effects on the viability of live exporters.

The aggressive nature of the questioning eventually led to the department's leader, DAWE secretary Andrew Metcalfe, unequivocally declaring his staff were independent and not captive to any one interest group.

His comments to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee painted a picture of the complexities Australia faces in being a major global exporter of live animals in a society where lobbying to have that business stopped is strong.

Mr Metcalfe referred to public outcry over the Awassi Express disaster in August 2017, where thousands of head of sheep died due to heat stress.

That led to the moratorium on shipping sheep during the northern hemisphere summer.

Mr Metcalfe said that tragedy brought the industry into a very significant period of questioning and the department received a huge amount of criticism for failing to predict such a thing.

"We have not knee-jerked. The trade has continued and standards have been improved," he said.

"There are different sides to this story and views are passionate. As regulators, we have to use the best science available and we have to consult and that is exactly what we are doing."

Committee chair Queensland senator Susan McDonald made note of Freedom of Information documents she had obtained which show levels of correspondence between the DAWE and animal rights groups far outweigh that which the department has with the live export industry.

Mr Metcalfe said live animal exports was an issue that attracted significant public interest.

"The standard that broader society expects is that, as a regulator, we are fair and balanced," he said.

"The strong questioning of our activities from senators today demonstrates we are in the middle, engaging in what is a serious issue.

"We understand the economic role the industry plays, particularly in parts of northern and western Australia. At the same time, we are conscious of the animal welfare issues and tragically we have seen terrible things in the past - there is a lot of history around this."

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The lack of independent observers sailing on live export ships came under fire from Greens senator for NSW Mehreen Faruqi.

DAWE deputy secretary David Hazlehurst said Omicron had meant there was not the confidence IOs could return to Australia and uncertainty around the pandemic still existed.

Dr Faruqi described it as a "dire state of affairs" that there was no timeline to get IOs back on ships.

Mr Metcalfe: "There is a very important balance here between the role an IO can provide in animal welfare and obligations to people in workplace health and safety."

Dr Faruqi also questioned the data used to make recommendations in the draft report around reducing the length of the moratorium for shipping sheep to the Middle East.

Staff explained the changes considered related to updated temperature information from the Bureau of Meteorology.

Dr Faruqi expressed concern that changes could be recommended based on just BOM forecasts.

"The report drew on data from 15 voyages. Only six had IOs on board yet all those with observers reported heat stress - surely that must ring alarm bells?" she said.

Regulators were also under fire for a perceived lack of consultation with graziers about the practicality of some recommendations in the report, such as shearing 14 days prior to export.

First assistant secretary of the live export division Tina Hutchison said the process of public consultation following the release of a draft report was to do exactly that and already meetings had been held with industry groups.

Further, the science and measures in the draft were not new to the regulation of the live export industry, she said.

Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan said it was 'grossly irresponsible' to shear two weeks prior to shipping (due to infection risks) and a simple conversation with 'someone who actually works with sheep' would have prevented such a 'wild' recommendation in the first place.

The promise was made by staff to look carefully at that recommendation 'and if there is an adjustment that needs to be made we will certainly consider it'.

Mr Canavan: "People are investing millions of dollars in these businesses and it looks like you've put zero thought into measures that will affect those businesses. I'm gobsmacked you didn't ask such basic questions. Just because it's a draft doesn't mean it is innocuous."

The department is working towards releasing a final report on the moratorium review by the end of February.

A total of 700 submissions were received and the intention is to publish those at the same time the final report is released.

The timing of the review has been such to make changes ahead of the 2022 northern hemisphere summer.

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