Skip to content

Western Australia — meat exports

State companion to Federal — meat exports.

Verified

  • Live sheep by sea — overwhelmingly WA supply chain; federal ban from 1 May 2028 (DAFF).
  • Premier Cook estimated ~$123m/year and ~400 jobs from sheep ban; sought more transition funding (ABC May 2024).
  • Live cattle: WA contributed ~22.5% of cattle exported by sea in 2024 (170,790 head) — below Darwin/QLD but material (Live Corp 2024).
  • Middle East tensions and ship availability affected live sheep volumes 2024 (same source).

State tension (federal tracker)

  • Verified: WA Labor premier vs federal Labor Watt/Collins on sheep; WA Opposition attacked announcement in Perth.
  • Inferred: WA wants cattle live export protected while sheep ends — see federal state tensions.

Key politicians

Current: Roger Cook · Jackie Jarvis (Agriculture & Food)

Previous: Mark McGowan (Premier to Jun 2023)