Govt should focus on Aussie farmers producing for domestic slaughter and processing.

The ABARES Australian Agricultural and Grazing Industries Survey (AAGIS) 2014 highlights the need for government to focus on supporting Aussie farmers who produce high quality animals for the domestic slaughter and processing industry. Currently 94% of sheep and 93% of beef cattle produced in Australia are slaughtered here.

Overall, Australian livestock producers receive just 7% of their income from the sale of animals to the live export industry. 

Exports of sheep meat to the Middle East increased by more than 150% between 1990 and 2013 and meat exports from Australia are currently worth 9 times that of live exports.

Time to look after the majority and not the minority. Be interesting to see how much government money goes into live export promotion and regulation compared to domestic....is it disproportionate? Almost certainly. Could we be propping up drought farmers if we werent spending so much money on live-ex? Who knows?