Latest news with #WAFarmers
West Australian
17-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Former WAFarmers president John Hassell reflects on farming advocacy and providing voice for industry
East Pingelly farmer John Hassell continues to advocate for the Australian farming community despite stepping down as president of WAFarmers earlier this year. A fifth-generation farmer descending from pioneer Captain John Hassell, Mr Hassell has farming in his blood. He crops a combination of wheat, barley, canola, oats and lupus across 1400ha and has a self-replacing flock of 3500 Merino ewes. Since stepping down from the helm of WAFarmers at the end of his four-year term earlier this year, Mr Hassell has had more opportunity to spend time and focus on his farm. Kojonup farmer Steve McGuire took the reins from Mr Hassell as WAFarmers president. 'There's no shortage of things to do, so I haven't been bored; we've been straight into seeding,' Mr Hassell said. 'My son and I did the entire program between the two of us. I think we did pretty well — got in and even got the long weekend off in June.' Living on farm with Mr Hassell is his wife Michelle, son George, daughter Chelsea and three grandchildren. Mr Hassell's latest venture is installing tile drains to address waterlogging in paddocks, improving yields, suppressing weeds and disease, enhancing soil structure, and allowing for optimal seeding, spraying and spreading. 'It's a contracting job that I'm looking forward to, and I enjoy getting out and talking to people,' he said. Mr Hassell is still actively against the Federal Government's ban on live sheep exports and remains a firm supporter of the sheep industry despite dropping prices, and remains the vice-president of the National Farmers' Federation. He said farmers were turning away from sheep to cropping as a result of the ban and 'massive downward pressure' on the price of wool. 'It's not so economic to run wool, and the price of sheep meat and the productivity of sheep is not growing as fast as cropping,' he said. 'It's an economic reality that you do more cropping.' In the lead up to the Federal election, Mr Hassell spent time as a campaigner and spokesman for Keep the Sheep — lending his voice to the communities that would be impacted as a result of the ban and not simply because he was a farmer. 'It's been a major change that, unfortunately, has had an impact on the schools, the footy teams, and the local IGA — all these things that the Keep the Sheep campaign was about,' Mr Hassell said. 'If I don't have live sheep to sell, or if I can't sell live sheep, the price goes down — I'll change my enterprise mix and I'll survive, but my community won't. 'It was only ever about community, about the truck drivers, about the shearing contractors, about all the people who you know actually make up a part of our town.' He said the 'worst thing' about the announcement of the ban was there was no set date for it to come into effect. 'There was no incentive for anybody to put any incentive, any money, or any investment into any part of the supply chain because it could have been banned the following week,' Mr Hassell said. 'No one knew. 'I think that huge amount of uncertainty just absolutely knocked the confidence out of everybody.' Mr Hassell said the ban announcement led to an almost immediate oversupply of sheep, causing the price of sheep to crash 'almost instantly'. 'I think the Federal Government made a massive mistake in doing that, and in doing that I don't think they realised just how much damage they did to our communities and to our businesses,' he said. As NFF vice-president, Mr Hassell is focused on ensuring farmers across the country receive representation, as is the case with South Australian farmers experiencing the drought. 'We're trying to find ways around getting fodder from WA through to SA, which has got some restricted biosecurity there,' he said. 'They put a kind of blanket ban on WA . . . they need to probably have a closer look at where their biosecurity issues are, because WA is pretty good in terms of no serious disease issues. 'They've got one little pest that they're worried about — the green snail — and we've got to try and find a way of making sure they don't take it across the border when they take hay and fodder.'
West Australian
05-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
WA livestock industry buoyed by NZ flock decline, as prices are set to rise
WA sheep farmers could see the greatest benefit nationally from New Zealand flock decline thanks to basic laws of supply and demand. Flock numbers have continued to decrease in WA, largely in part to a significant reduction in consumer confidence fuelled by the ban on live exports. But industry believes the reduced numbers will only drive up prices for WA lamb. Given the reductions in NZ processing capacity and reducing flock size, lower production and export volumes are expected in the medium term, providing an opportunity for Australia to capitalise on typical NZ markets. WAFarmers livestock president Geoff Pearson said WA producers could benefit even more than their Eastern States counterparts given the continually reducing flock levels. 'We've seen a demise of sheep flock, a decrease in producer confidence, our numbers aren't there but number shortages will result in better prices,' he said. 'As supply and demand does its thing, we will see an increase price.' Mr Pearson said there had never been a better time for Australian lamb and beef for fulfilling these markets given the international political unrest. 'NZ flock decline can only be a plus for Australia producers,' he said. MLA market information analyst Emily Tansaid Australia would be able to capitalise on typical NZ markets if processors could effectively cater to both United States and United Kingdom markets and reward producers effectively. The US market typically encourages carcasses 30kg and above, while the UK typically prefers lighter carcasses. Sheepmeat exports in NZ fell 1.5 per cent to 399,803 tonnes carcass weight equivalent, a decline which Ms Tan said was expected to continue in 2025. Meanwhile, in Australia a steady increase in lamb carcass weights has been recorded, driven by improvements in genetics, feeding strategies and evolving market signals. 'Australian carcass weights, for both sheep and lamb, have lifted by 19 per cent in the last 20 years,' Ms Tan said. 'The pursuit of heavier carcasses has led Australian lamb carcass weights to continue to grow.' In NZ, carcass weights have remained stable in the past 10 years with processors discounting carcasses over 20kg because of the markets that they typically export to, including the UK.
West Australian
05-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
No meetings with farming groups for Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins during WA cabinet visit
Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins has been slammed for failing to meet with farming groups during a Cabinet visit to WA this week. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was expected to host his new-look Cabinet to WA this week, marking its first trip west since Labor's landslide election win in May. Ms Collins' office told the Countryman that the Agriculture Minister would visit WA as part of the Cabinet visit, but said there would be no chance for a media interview or photograph due to a tight schedule. A spokeswoman for Ms Collins said the Agriculture Minister would hold multiple meetings across her portfolio, including with forestry and viticulture stakeholders, while visiting WA but declined to specify exactly who. Ms Collins' office also declined to say if the Minister would be meeting with any agricultural stakeholders or farmers. WAFarmers president Steve McGuire and chief executive Trevor Whittington confirmed the organisation had received no contact from Ms Collins' office. Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA president Tony Seabrook said he had heard 'zilch' from Ms Collins' office regarding her WA visit. 'How dare they? We are the only two organisations in WA (PGA and WAFarmers) and they won't even talk to us,' he said. 'We produce the food that you eat, we export enough food overseas to feed another 40 or 50 million people and you won't talk to us — you won't even acknowledge that we exist.' Ms Collins retained her portfolio as Agriculture Minister following a shake-up in Labor's second term ministry following the May 3 election. The Tasmanian MP has held the seat of Franklin since 2007 and was announced as Agriculture Minister in July, 2024, taking over from Queensland senator Anthony Chisholm. She has been re-elected five times and has previously held shadow ministry positions for employment services, ageing and mental health, and women. Ms Collins' last visited WA in October where she announced an additional $32.7 million as part of a $139 million package to assist farmers transition away from the live sheep export. Her request during the previous trip to visit a live sheep export feedlot in Peel was rejected by the owners. The WA visit is Mr Albanese's 35th visit since taking the top job as Prime Minister in 2022, and the third time he has brought his cabinet to Perth.
ABC News
30-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Leaked live export aid plan fuels fears funding won't help sheep farmers
West Australian farmers say a leaked draft of how the federal government may spend $45.5 million to help the sheep industry survive without live exports is a farce. The say the leaked plan "from the Canberra bubble" demonstrates the department's incompetence. Under the Commonwealth's $139.7m live export transition assistance package, $45.5m was earmarked for sheep producers and the associated supply chain to assist them in preparing for the end of the live sheep trade in May 2028. In 2021-22 the West Australian sheep and wool industries were worth $1.35 billion. ( ABC Mid West Wheatbelt: Jo Prendergast ) A leaked draft document from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), marked "confidential", is circulating within the WA sheep industry and reveals how the government is planning to distribute the money to sheep producers, truck drivers and shearing contractors. Farmers argue that $45.5m is not enough, and the department appears to agree with its notes on the risk and sensitivities of its funding plans. The document notes $15m to be spent developing satellite feedlots and confinement feeding may have "insufficient funds to make a strategic difference". Under the draft plan, shearing contractors could receive $30,000 for retraining. ( ABC Mid West Wheatbelt: Jo Prendergast ) A department note on a plan to spend $5m to create a new long-term strategy to build confidence and shape a direction for the sheep meat and wool industries "identifies a range of potentially expensive priorities, beyond the scope of the $5m allocated". Corrigin-based sheep producer Steven Bolt said the leaked document made him question if the government was taking the process seriously. "It's just incompetence from the department," he said. Mr Bolt said many businesses impacted by a shrinking sheep flock — such as pasture seed cleaners or ram breeders — were not considered in the report. The document reveals producers can apply for $150,000 in grants, matched dollar for dollar, for confinement feeding. Under the plan, sheep producers would receive a financial advice and a business planning grant of $40,000, if they had sent an average of 1,000 sheep per year for the past three years to live export. Grants of $30,000 are planned for trucking and logistics companies and for employers of shearers, wool classers and shed hands. "The funds that are available will never be anywhere close to enough to mitigate the damage that has been caused, or provide sustainability or growth in the industry going forward," Mr Bolt said. WA Farmers president Steve McGuire. ( ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding ) 'Looking for an easy solution' WA Farmers president Steve McGuire said the planned spend did nothing to reduce risk and restore confidence in the sheep industry, labeling it a "shemozzle" from "the Canberra bubble". "They're looking for an easy solution, but there is no easy solution, and this is what we warned them about from day dot, and they did not listen," he said. "So $30,000 for a trucking company, that will buy one tipper, and the idea that shearing contractors will become agricultural employment brokers? Good luck with that." Mr McGuire said the ability of live export to take large numbers of sheep at certain times of the year provided a risk-management tool that the government had provided no alternative to. "Until processors offer a contract a year ahead … no-one is taking the risk away from the farmer," he said. The wool industry is a valuable employer in regional areas. ( ABC Mid West Wheatbelt: Jo Prendergast ) In February, DAFF held 16 co-design workshops with industry and community across WA, where it asked for ideas on how to create confidence and profitability in the sheep industry without live export. On its website, DAFF says industry funding programs are expected to open in July after a co-design process with regional communities and industry. "The department is aware of the inadvertent distribution of a draft document which reflects early internal planning for one component of the phase-out of live sheep exports by sea assistance program," a department spokesperson said. " A range of options are still in development by the department. The document has not been provided to the government. "
