Live-sheep exports “disaster“: Wood

Jason Wood, Sussan Ley and Sarah Henderson announce the Bill to phase-out live sheep exports.

By Cam Lucadou-Wells

La Trobe Liberal MP Jason Wood has defied his party’s support for live sheep exports, declaring another animal-welfare “disaster” was bound to happen again.

On 21 May, Mr Wood co-sponsored a private members Bill in Federal Parliament with the “ultimate aim” of phasing out long-haul live sheep exports within five years.

He fronted a press conference with Liberal colleagues Sussan Ley and Sarah Henderson in Canberra to spruik the Bill.

In ensuing days, his electorate office has been swamped by supportive messages. Not one supported the continuation of the trade, he said.

“I have listened to the community, and believe the case for continuing long haul sheep exports fails on both animal welfare and economic grounds.

“No one wants to see animals die and suffer the way they have.

“I can’t imagine anything worse for the animals.”

The Bill reportedly attracted the ire of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the caucus room, but has been backed by Labor and The Greens.

“I’m not the flavour of the month with some of my colleagues on this,” Mr Wood conceded.

In the meanwhile, Mr Wood called for the immediate introduction of independent vets on the ships rather than vets employed by the exporters.

He had “lost faith” in the Department of Agriculture; the process should instead by managed by another department, he said.

“The system put in place by the Department has failed.

“The heat stress, the humid conditions, 25 days in the Middle East and the lack of ventilation are so bad for the animals … it’s bound to happen again.”

The issue flared when a whistleblower recently released confronting footage of masses of heat-stressed and dying sheep on a long-haul ship.

The Government’s announced changes to allocate more space for sheep on live export ships to the Middle East “pleased” Mr Wood but they were “not nearly enough”.

“I’ve given (the industry) the message that if there was another disaster, it was all over, Red Rover.

“Remember you’re judged in the way you treat your animals.

“I just think it’s a sad reflection on the (live export) industry.”