Press Release

Live Exports, Native Title funding and drought reform will be on the agenda when WA’s leading farm lobby group, the Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA), meets tomorrow with Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig before the community Cabinet meeting in Thornlie.

“We will be taking this opportunity to push for a full independent review into the Export Supply Chain Assurance Scheme (ESCAS) to address the numerous concerns which have been raised by exporters, importers and farmers since its inception 18months ago,” PGA President Rob Gillam said.

“The problems present in the existing ESCAS program are destroying the live export industry by a thousand bureaucratic cuts and unless they are identified and corrected the industry will be unable to ensure the same high standards of animal welfare that it currently provides.”

“As well, we will be asking the Minister to work on facilitating the establishment of MOU’s with Saudi Arabia and Iran to increase market access for live exports.”

“The PGA will also be addressing the impact of the Government’s decision to stop all funding for pastoralists to engage in Native Title deliberations and the impact that this will have on the northern cattle industry,” he said.

“We will also be following up with Minister Ludwig on the Drought Reform program and discussing the rural debt crisis in the Eastern Wheatbelt,” Mr Gillam said.

“All in all we expect this to be another productive meeting with the Minister.”