GOVERNMENT and state farming organisation scrutiny of Sheep Producers Australia’s Future Flock Strategy process is increasing after the release of two flawed taxpayer-funded reports last week.
Sheep Central was told this afternoon that the reports have been updated, but their quiet release last week, content, conclusions and the lack of accountability from SPA has prompted a call from primary whistleblower and Victorian sheep producer Andrew Freshwater for the SPA board and chief executive officer Bonnie Skinner to step aside.
WAFarmers CEO Trevor Whittington said SPA is now “on notice” and raised the prospect of future questions about SPA’s governance and leadership from SPA’s state farming organisation members.
Livestock SA president Gillian Fennell has told Sheep Central that whilst ever the data and information in the Future Flock reports can be called into question, they cannot be used with confidence to advance the interests of producers in the sector. Several state farming organisations are still considering their future course of action on the Future Flock reports.
Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins has said she expects errors in the Rennie Advisory report to be rectified; however she would not say if she has requested the review and reissuing of the reports, nor confirm how much had been spent on each.
“Our government is continuing to work closely with industry to deliver practical, targeted support that helps farmers and businesses through our almost $140 million transition assistance package.
“I continue to meet regularly with the Transition Advocate to discuss the progress of transition away from live sheep exports by sea,” Ms Collins said.
“Our government takes this transition seriously and my expectation is that any errors identified in this report are rectified by the report authors.”
Step aside SPA – Freshwater
Mr Freshwater has told SPA that “given the poor quality and obvious lack of oversight with the Future Flock document and the process around it, including the eye watering amount of money its cost to produce, I feel the right thing to do is for the board and CEO of Sheep Producers Australia to step aside and allow a fresh and competent group to move Sheep Producers Australia forward.”
He said the Future Flock documents are the latest in a long list of poor outcomes and questionable decisions by SPA which, in a corporate business model would not be tolerated.
“I also believe that not answering criticisms and questions of your organisation by levy paying sheep producers like myself is the height of poor business ethics and presumption that the sheep industry as a whole supports the way in which Sheep Producers Australia is currently handling itself – which I can assure you is not the case.”
On notice – Whittington
Mr Whittington said Andrew Freshwater has identified a long series of factual errors and questionable assumptions in the Future Flock reports.
“Industry will now be watching very closely to see whether SPA acknowledges those problems, fixes them and explains how they got through its oversight process.
“The bigger test for SPA is still to come,” he said.
“The final report will contain the strategic recommendations intended to help shape the sheep industry for the next decade.
“It simply cannot be allowed out the door without rigorous fact-checking and a serious reality check from commercial sheep producers,” Mr Whittington said.
“SPA is now on notice.
“If the final report contains the same sort of factual errors, optimistic assumptions and disconnect from commercial reality, then the State Farm Organisations will quite reasonably have to start asking questions about SPA’s governance and leadership.”
Process is a disgrace – Keep the Sheep
Keep the Sheep spokesman Ben Sutherland said the Albanese Government took $800,000 from its live sheep export transition package and spent it on the Future Flock project, supposedly to help map out the future of Australia’s sheep industry.
“WA is carrying almost all the pain from this ban.
“Nearly every sheep that used to leave Australia by boat came from WA, and it is our farmers, businesses and rural communities being forced to deal with the consequences,” he said in a media statement.
“So you would expect WA to be front and centre.
“Instead, the final report delivered exactly zero WA-specific recommendations.”
Mr Sutherland said the transition package and Future Flock exercise sums up Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s approach to the live export ban.
“Tick a box, then leave the people actually losing their industry to pick up the pieces.
“WA farmers deserve better than this disgrace.”
Mr Sutherland said the Keep the Sheep campaign united the agriculture in a way that has never seen before and the best future strategy is reinstating the trade “rather than simply being a puppet for the government that caused the damage.”
“There was no exclusive invite to join keep the sheep and over 120,000 people signed on which showed where producer sentiment really sits.
“In addition to all those individuals, numerous WA-Based and national organisations got behind the campaign to fight the ban in a true and honest demonstration of industry unity,” he said.
“I can confirm that SPA was not one of the organisations to formally commit to the campaign.”
Disappointed – Livestock SA
Livestock SA president Gillian Fennell said a strong, robust plan or strategy when used appropriately to guide investment, research and future direction of an industry can be incredibly valuable, which is why Livestock SA has invested significant time, energy and industry funds into the development of what is now called the Red Meat and Wool Blueprint.
“This document was not developed in isolation, but was deliberately designed to align with existing key national and state strategic plans, including the National Sheep and Beef Sustainability Frameworks, Red Meat 2030, Wool 2030, Carbon Farming Roadmap for South Australia, and SA State Emissions Reduction Strategy.
“We participated in the Future Flock process to ensure that this valuable work that had been crafted by industry, producers and supply chain participants for more than a decade was represented in any national strategy to ensure a clear alignment of priorities for our members,” she said.
“Many other states and industry sectors also have their own plans and strategies that have had similar investment, and whilst the Future Flock strategy had the potential to provide a clear, unified direction and strategy for the sheep and wool sector we are still missing a key piece of work – a stocktake of the many local, state and sector specific plans that exist.
“Without this collaborated source of information and data as a foundation this strategy is at risk of simply reinventing the wheel at the expense of genuine industry advancement and consolidation of effort.”
Ms Fennell said it was disappointing to note the number of errors and contradictions contained within the reports, as it does call the veracity of the claims made in the reports into question.
“The sector deserves a well-researched, well-presented report that can be used to not only guide investment into the future, but also as an advocacy tool to help those of us in representative roles to demonstrate the incredible value that the sheep and wool industry has to Australia.
“Whilst ever the data and information can be called into question, we cannot use this report with confidence to advance the interests of producers in the sector,” she said.
“I understand that the Future Flock process is now complete, and any further leadership or otherwise with regards to the document should be vested in the organisations that directly represent not just sheep meat producers, but also WoolProducers – and that is the state farming Organisations.
“As a collective group we can count among our members not only grassroots producers, but also other parts of the supply chain,” Ms Fennell said.
“Future Flock belongs not to one organisation, but to an entire sector and should be managed accordingly.”
Ms Fennell said like any other industry strategy or plan, this is a piece of work that will require regular review and updating to ensure that it remains relevant and fit for purpose.
“Any further analysis of the reports produced, and the value of the process is unnecessary, as I believe that the stakeholders involved in the consultation have made their views abundantly clear.”
However, Ms Fennell said she is still profoundly disappointed that a process that could have been leveraged to bring a spirit of collaboration and unity to the industry has instead caused significant division.
“It is my hope that any future efforts to engage with stakeholders on similar projects or plans learns from this process and moves forwards in a more positive manner.”
Ms Fennell said she believed it is the role of the state farming organisations to demonstrate the leadership and courage required to ensure that we work together to ensure a robust and profitable industry moving forward.
“It is time for agricultural industry leaders to set their egos aside, stop building silos, and instead develop new ways of collaborating that deliver real and meaningful results for not just sheep and wool, but for all farmers, truckies, ag businesses and Australia itself.”
TasFarmers CEO Nathan Calman said the development of Future Flock is an ongoing process.
“TasFarmers’ Red Meat and Wool Committee will review the current report over the coming months and provide feedback.”
SPA has refused to answer whether $270,000 reportedly allocated for the Rennie Advisory economic analysis report was part of the original $800,000 granted to SPA or to disclose any details on what monies have been allocated respectively to the two reports, claiming inadequate time to generate a response. Sheep Central also sought responses to questions from NSW Farmers and AgForce.
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