Live Export

Pastoralists brand Wilkie bill ‘a cheap political stunt’

Beef Central, 03/11/2011

Western Australia’s Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) has pulled no punches in its assessment of independent MP Andrew Wilkie’s push to legislate mandatory stunning in export markets, branding it a “cheap political stunt”.

PGA president Rob Gillam said the move was nothing more than “a futile attempt of political pandering” by Mr Wilkie to his Green electorate which came at the expense of Australia’s hard working livestock producers.

“Mr Wilkie and his small group of anti-live export zealots are well aware that there is no hope of this Bill being passed because neither the Government nor the Opposition will support it.”

“So one has to ask the question, why introduce it in the first place?”

“Mr Wilkie is only trying to score political points from the Greens voters in Tasmania and is not above destroying the livelihoods of thousands of hardworking livestock producers in Western Australia to maintain his own political future.”

Mr Gillam said the Federal Government and Opposition had given their support for the continuation of the live trade, as was seen with the recent defeat of two separate Bills.

The Government had also initiated the independent Farmer Review into livestock exports, which supported the continuation of the trade.

“However these facts seem to be lost on those MP’s who will use any issue to promote their own self worth,” Mr Gillam said.

“Mr Wilkie’s Bill should be revealed for what it is – nothing more than a cheap political stunt.”

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