This gov't is not far from a ban on cattle live-ex too: Don Heatley

Northern Queensland beef producer Don Heatley believes the political appetite for appeasing minority, but loud, animal activists is now at a point where a total permanent shutdown of the trade is a definite possibility.

He says the fact the Albanese Government is forging ahead with its election promise to end live sheep exports, despite what the science says about animal welfare and the economic devastation it will cause, is evidence of a political sentiment that will eventually flow through to the northern cattle business.

It is also evidence that this government has not learned from the mistakes of the Gillard Labor Government, whose suspension in 2011 has now been ruled reckless and invalid, even capricious, by the Federal Court and will cost Australian taxpayers millions in compensation, Mr Heatley said.

Repeated insisting from Agriculture Minister Murray Watt that his government supports the live cattle trade and has no plans to ban it does not appear to be reassuring northern pastoralists.

At the Zanda McDonald Award Impact Summit in Brisbane this week, Mr Heatley spoke candidly in a panel session about the experiences of those in the industry who were on the coalface during the 2011 ban.

After his appearance, he told Farmonline the industry was better placed today to deal with such a monumental attack but the threat had morphed.

"The greatest problem we face now is the fact the argument has become very, very political," he said.

"Both the sheep and cattle industries have demonstrated enormous progress (in animal welfare management) and there is scientific evidence to prove that.

"But it was a political promise leading into the election and the government is sticking with that.

"The overriding factor is now they will listen to minority groups who are still beavering away at securing the complete removal of all live exporting of any animal and politics are leaning in that direction big time.

"It's appalling a trade can be cancelled on that basis and I think it means this government is not far from a ban on the live cattle trade."

Mr Watt, who will be at the Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association conference in Darwin tomorrow, once again told Farmonline this week he had repeatedly made clear the Federal Government continues to support live cattle exports and would not ban the trade.

"While the government went to the last two elections committing to phasing out live sheep exports by sea, we have also stated that we continue to support live cattle exports," he said.

"I will honour these commitments to the Australian people."

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus also provided an update this week to Farmonline on the ongoing wait for compensation in the class action following the monumental ruling three years ago.

He firstly made the point the matter was never resolved during the entire nine years in office of the former government.

"In December last year, shortly after the election of the Albanese Government, the Commonwealth made an offer of settlement to the class," a spokesperson for the AG said.

"The Commonwealth has engaged in a good faith attempt to settle the claims made by the class by offering to pay as much money as it thinks it can properly offer, on the information that has been provided by the class to date.

"The Commonwealth remains open to receiving further information from the class and will continue to engage in attempts to settle the matter."

Mr Heatley, who was chair of Meat & Livestock Australia at the time of the 2011 suspension, said while analysis had been conducted at the time on what a ban of the live trade to Indonesia might mean for the Australian cattle industry, 'no one was prepared for an overnight closure of the trade.'

Following the airing of horrendous treatment of Australian animals in overseas slaughterhouses, Mr Heatley said it was obvious the government was going to make a big announcement but 'the biggest issue we faced as an industry was the inability to prepare for the unknown.'

"The drums were beating. Minority groups figured they had a scalp and were going to go hard on it," he said.

"The minister at the time was not industry-friendly. There was zero love the for live cattle industry and we just could not build a relationship. The minister would not take meetings with us."

For a two-week period after the suspension, it was hugely difficult for the cattle industry to get any traction in the media, Mr Heatley said.

"We were being eaten alive on a daily basis by every form of media," he said.

"To be able to tell our story was so difficult. Consequently that first couple of weeks was pure survival."

Asked by the Impact Summit audience why MLA was facing the onslaught, given it is a service provider and not an industry advocacy group, Mr Heatley said the beef industry was made up of numerous sectors and peak industry groups and there was no doubt there was a lag as to who should take on the issue, who should 'go first' so to speak.

"It wasn't our role but in the end, somebody had to step up and defend the industry," he said.

"The reality was MLA had its name on the one Australian box where the footage was taken. So immediately everyone googled MLA and we were branded the culprit.

"The media was all over us like a rash and we ended up having to take the brunt."

He recalled having to call an all-in MLA staff meeting and address the fact staff were going to dinner with friends and hearing 'why would you work for that mob, they're on the nose.'

One key lesson learned, he said, was that building a network is so, so important.

"If you know the other people involved and can pick up the phone and work out a strategy, it's critical. Developing those networks is paramount to survival in a crisis."

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