Live sheep exporters warned

THE live sheep export industry has been warned to lift its game or be the next to face a backlash from the Australian community.

RSPCA Australia chief executive Heather Neil said the live sheep trade had already had 30 years to get it right.

"But they haven't got it right yet, and so they better move fast," Ms Neil said.

She said the temporary closure of the live cattle trade to Indonesia should serve as a lesson to live sheep exporters.

"The Australian community has made it clear, they will not accept Australian live animal exports where they cannot be guaranteed that animals will not be treated cruelly at their destination," Ms Neil said.

But the RSPCA's attack has been dubbed "unfair" by Sheepmeat Council of Australia president and Victorian farmer Kate Joseph.

"That's (the RSPCA's comments) just not fair at all," she said.

"Industry is working very hard with government to continually improve animal-welfare standards."

But Ms Neil said the sheep industry needed to do more to prevent cruelty in countries where live exports were sent.

Despite welfare improvements made in the trade of live export cattle to Indonesia, the RSPCA would continue lobbying for mandatory stunning of both cattle and sheep before slaughter, she said.

The RSPCA's warning has also been rebuked by Western Australia Farmers Federation president Mike Norton.

Mr Norton told The Weekly Times the RSPCA was increasingly being "dominated by radicals" and as a partially government-funded organisation it should work more constructively with industry, not against it, to lift welfare standards.

He said government funding should be withdrawn if the RSPCA continued on this path.

Ms Neil said the RSPCA sourced only about 3 per cent of funding from governments.

She said the RSPCA's main objective was to prevent animal cruelty.

"We spend a lot of time talking to government and industry groups ... but industry needs to demonstrate they have all the pieces in place when it comes to live export and preventing cruelty, and, to date, they haven't been able to do that," she said.