June 14, 2011

Australian graziers unwilling to pay for stranded cattle

It is unfair for the federal government to force Meat and Livestock Australia to fork out relief money from a sum collected from producers to attend to the stranded cattle, according to graziers in the North-West.

The Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig is asking MLA to release AUD5 million (US$5.31 million) from its contingency fund to assist producers affected by the suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia. It would cover the cost of feeding and watering animals while producers try to find new markets for them.

Pilbara grazier Annabelle Coppin said it would mean producers would end up covering losses caused by the Government.

"I totally disagree with that," she said.

"The Federal Government has caused this problem to simply satisfy their ill-informed voters so why should producers, who are already hurting over this bad decision, over a knee-jerk reaction, have to pay for it?"

"The last thing we should have to do is put our own hands in our pockets which is what that levy money is."

Coppin said the government should compensate producers. "If the government is going to cause us pain and dictate who we trade to, then they should be expected to compensate us," she said.

"The levy money is our money and we should not be expected to clean up this mess."