Convoy hits Perth streets to oppose live sheep export ban

Farm Weekly

Western Australian farmers, shearers, truck drivers and agricultural industry representatives have headed for the streets of Perth as a show of solidarity against the live sheep export ban.

Transcript

00:00 For our truckies, for our shearers, for our schools, for our rural towns, for our farming

00:16 families, take the sheep!

00:19 Hey guys, it's Tam from Farm Weekly here and this is Mandy, advocate as we know, and we're

00:25 here at Rouse Head at the muster point for the western side of the rally today and we

00:31 already have heaps of people and everyone's being really, really peaceful and it looks

00:35 like it's going to be a great day.

00:36 See you all soon!

00:37 Hey, I'm Rich Ford from Cudditon.

00:40 I'm Zee Fusbisler from Korda.

00:42 I'm Kai McNamara from Cadoo.

00:44 And we're out here supporting local farmers and local communities to keep the sheep.

00:51 We finished last night at 9 o'clock painting the straw, done by the locals here in Munnijong

00:58 and Byford.

00:59 We started again at 5 this morning and the trucks have been in cars and buses and utes.

01:05 They've all been rolling in since then.

01:07 It's getting to really good.

01:08 There's a coffee van here, so it's looking really good.

01:11 So, the reason for you all being here today, tell us about the campaign.

01:14 The reason, live export.

01:16 It's been told to us by people that have no idea what's going on, that they're going

01:21 to close the industry down and to us the industry is so much.

01:25 Down to your tippers, your hay into the feedlots, hay into farmers, straw, grain, sheep and

01:31 especially sheep.

01:33 We've all just, we've had enough of being told what to do and we're here to stand up

01:36 and fight and this is what this rally's going to be.

01:38 It's going to be a peaceful rally.

01:39 We're trying not to disturb too many other people in their day and this is what it's

01:43 all about.

01:44 So, obviously people are coming in this morning, you're pretty overwhelmed with the support

01:46 you're getting so far.

01:47 Yeah, yeah, there's over 500 vehicles for this depot point, yeah.

01:50 And what about collectively?

01:51 We heard from the other guys at the other points, just wondering how they're going.

01:54 Yeah, yeah, so far, the other groups, there's one on top of Bedford Are Hill at the road

01:58 train assembly area, that's really building up quick.

02:01 I haven't got a last report up there, but the last I heard was going to be 500 up there

02:05 as well.

02:06 About 250 out of Fremantle and about 450 north of Perth.

02:10 Probably 50 or 60 or 70% of people in Perth don't actually know what's going on.

02:14 So this is to show them that the government we've got now isn't supporting agriculture

02:19 or any industries and this is where we are now and this is what we want their support

02:23 to maybe even change the government and keep the farmers farming on their farm.

02:28 So obviously Warby's Transport does a fair bit of livestock transport.

02:31 Yep.

02:32 What will happen to your business if this goes the way it looks like it's going?

02:36 Our business livestock wise will lose 28 to 32% and our bulk and straw and fodder wise

02:45 and even fertiliser, it's hard to put a figure on, but I reckon we could lose another 20%

02:51 out of that with the bulk guys because they're not going to put fertiliser on their grass

02:55 because they don't have sheep that need it for the grass to grow.

03:00 And they won't buy hay in because they're not going to have the sheep or they're going

03:03 to have limited or less sheep.

03:06 So yeah, it's a follow on effect and to be part of the industry that's going to be affecting

03:11 probably 90% of the people, 98% of the people probably, it's proud to be part of this and

03:17 with Brownie, Benno and Holly and all the other little, everyone else that's helped

03:23 in behind the scenes it's been pretty awesome in three weeks to get this up and rolling.

03:27 And what town do you live in Peter?

03:28 Wandering.

03:29 And what's it going to do for the community of Wandering with something like this going on?

03:32 Oh look, we could lose a shearing team or the local shearing teams, we could go from

03:37 guys that go from four teams to three, the local contractors, crutching contractors,

03:42 well they're not going to have the staff, they're not going to have the sheep to crutch

03:45 and they're not going to have the staff in the town.

03:47 So little towns are going to suffer and then that goes all the way back down to your volley

03:52 fires, your ambulances, it's an effect that goes right through because if there's no work

03:57 out in the country for them, they're going to come back here to the city.

04:00 And we need those volunteers out there doing the best they can for us.

04:04 [traffic noise]

04:25 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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