Legal action may be considered in response to any federal ban on live sheep exports, Western Australian stakeholders have warned, pointing to the successful class action against the previous Labor government's live cattle export ban in 2011.
Live sheep exports, which are worth an estimated $92 million to the Australian economy, are set to be wound down on the advice of a newly appointed panel, which will undertake a six-month consultation process and how it may happen.
But Pilbara feedlot owner Paul Brown, who served one term as a Nationals MP in WA's Legislative Council, was angered that the panel's mandate appeared to indicate a ban was a foregone conclusion.
Mr Brown said the live sheep industry could contemplate action similar to that launched in response to federal Labor's 2011 ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia.
"I'm sure they'll be looking at what legal avenues they'll be able to take," he said.
He believed the government's position was the "thin edge of the wedge" for Australia's live export industries.
"When it comes to policy, it's all about the social licence," Mr Brown said.
"And eventually the inner-city votes will determine live export of cattle has a diminishing social license, and they'll come knocking at our door in the live cattle industry as well."
With his business also providing services to sheep producers in WA's south, Mr Brown said he and his staff felt particularly exposed.
"It concerns me that myself and my staff are facing an uncertain future," he said.
"It's a business that's being operating for the better part of 20 years."
A matter for producers
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said it was up to sheep producers to decide whether they worked with the federal government to end live sheep exports, or opt for a legal fight.
"I'm confident we can come to an arrangement with industry, with the many thousands of people around Australia who care about animal welfare, that delivers on this commitment and treats people fairly," Senator Watt told WA Country Hour's Belinda Varischetti.
WA sheep producers account for the vast majority of the live export trade, with almost all being sent from WA ports.
But Senator Watt said live export only involved 12 per cent of sheep produced in WA.
"For those 12 per cent, we do want to make sure we come up with a good plan for the future," he said.
"That may well involve onshore processing, which means more jobs for Australians."
Mr Watt said the government had been working hard to open up new markets for boxed sheep meat, including in the United Kingdom, India and potentially the European Union.
"I'm confident we can come up with a plan that supports this industry," he said.
"Things will be different as a result of this, but I still think the industry has a very bright future in WA and across the country."
Establishing abattoirs 'incredibly difficult'
Sheep producer Robert Davy runs about 13,000 sheep on a property near Wellstead, 90 kilometres east of Albany on WA's south coast.
He said if the federal government was serious about phasing out live exports, it needed to invest heavily in local meat processing.
"Every town used to have an abattoir. Now there's only a handful," Mr Davy said.
"If they want this ban to go ahead, are they going to investment the millions needed to build abattoirs, and find the workers for them?"
He said getting an abattoir off the ground was "incredibly difficult" and could not "see that happening".
"These people, like Labor and welfare groups, are complaining about live export. Where's the investment going to come from?" Mr Davy said.
"If they're banning live sheep exports, they're not going to stop at sheep … the cattle industry will come under enormous pressure too.
"Farmers can't just plant trees and live off carbon credits."
WAFarmers Livestock Council member and wool grower Steve McGuire said sheep mortality rates had been decreasing and standards had improved due to the efforts of sheep producers and exporters.
"Who determines what social license is?" Mr McGuire said.
"Is it going to be determined by facts and science or is it going to be determined by feelings and emotions?
"That's no way to run a government."
Kuwaiti importer flags visit
With Kuwait the largest market for WA live sheep, Kuwait Live Livestock Transport and Trading (KLTT) chief executive Osama Boodai was already planning to visit Australia in May.
Rural Export and Trading WA general manager Murray Frangs worked closely with the state-owned importer and said he expected Mr Boodai would use the trip to address the potential threat to Kuwait's food security.
"Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by KLTT and trading partners to invest in infrastructure and facilities throughout Australia … to maintain the capacity to import live sheep as it has done for over 50 years," he said.
"Now these investments are put in jeopardy."
Labelling the government's stance "confronting" and "devastating", Mr Frangs said the ban would end years of cooperation to improve animal welfare.
"Whilst data and science validates our very existence, it is conveniently overlooked in favour of narrow political alliances and historical considerations," he said.
No word on compensation
The panel, comprising former RSPCA chief executive officer Heather Neill, retired Northern Territory Labor MP Warren Snowdon and WA agriculture figure Sue Middleton, will be chaired by former Murray-Darling Basin CEO Phil Glyde.
Mr Watt would not be drawn on whether the government would pay compensation to those negatively impacted by the changes.
"These are exactly the kind of things that need to be considered through this consultation process," he said.
"We can't come up with a cost until we work out exactly how it will happen.
"Already the discussions I've had this morning from industry, animal welfare groups, governments, [is] there's a lot of ideas about what we could be doing."
Additional reporting by Lauren Smith, John Dobson and Eliza Borrello.
