WESTERN Australia's pain has been Portland's gain, writes FIONA MYERS

Portland has emerged as a major player in the $200 million live-sheep export market this year.

Until the end of July, 30 per cent of live sheep exported from Australia were sent through the Port of Portland.

Last year, just 16 per cent of Australia's live exports came from Portland over a similar time frame.

The drought - as well as a shortage of suitable sheep from Western Australia - are the reasons for more ships heading to eastern ports.

While no sheep were exported from Victoria in August, almost 440,000 had been sent from Portland from January to July.

Industry figures put the value of these sheep at more than $50 million.

The biggest shipping month for the southern port was January, when 104,000 head went on the boats.

Nationally exports are lower this year, tracking down 24 per cent for the first eight months, to 1,530,110 head.

Sheepmeat Council of Australia president Kate Joseph put the increasing prominence of Portland to live sheep exports down to Western Australia's tough year.

"Exporters have been forced to come over to the eastern states this year to fill their orders," she said.

"My understanding is that it wasn't to do with price, but more that the exporters couldn't get the numbers in WA."

Ms Joseph said extra time on the water for ships that filled in eastern states ports such as Portland and Adelaide meant they were "not the first choice".

"WA is geared to it (live sheep export) but if they don't have the numbers, then the ships come over here," she said.

Ms Joseph said sheep sent from Portland were not only from Victorian farms, with NSW, Queensland and South Australian sheep producers also selling stock to be sent from that centre.

Western Australia's dominance last year meant 81 per cent of the sheep exported live came from the west.

The major customers for Australia's live sheep this year are Kuwait, which has taken almost 600,000 sheep; Qatar with 253,000; Turkey with 246,000; Bahrain with 208,000 and Jordan, 107,000.

Saudi Arabia has taken just 24,000 this year, a far cry from a decade ago when they took 2.14 million in 2001 and down on last year's imports of 262,000.