Sheep Producers Australia's Bonnie Skinner reflects on overseas talks

The chief executive officer at Sheep Producers Australia could type all of the positive features of the industry on an A3 piece of paper using a 12-point font.

"The growth in demand globally for sheepmeat continues to increase, and yes, it is a niche premium product, but we're seeing some exciting growth in some key market destinations," she said.

"We've got a fairly stable domestic consumption base here and finding opportunities to capitalise on that demand growth in key export markets will be key not just for this year, but for ongoing years as well."

Those key markets include two countries where she gained valuable but widely different insights into agriculture and the sheep sector.

In March, she was a member of the National Farmers' Federation French Farmer Delegation and Engagement Tour to learn more about processes and innovation in their industry.

Ms Skinner, despite the very different climates and geographies, there were many "clear, common goals around food security and sustainability".

"French farmers are very similar to Australian farmers in terms of wanting the best outcomes, whether that be for their farm and their land, their livestock, or their families and their livelihood," she said.

"I think a massive takeaway was the importance of working collaboratively on some of these global issues that we're facing as a food production and livestock sector, and the impacts that are being felt in our supply chains, which we're only going to overcome if we continue to collaborate globally."

More recently, she also travelled to India as part of a senior delegation led by Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt.

During her three-day trip, she visited Delhi and Mumbai, where she had the opportunity to meet with officials, leaders, and experts.

Although her India visit was a vastly different experience compared to her time in France, it was a "fascinating and amazing" insight into the subcontinent's local lamb industry.

"India is complex, it's incredibly diverse, and it's booming," she said.

"Their economy is powering ahead, regardless of some of the global shocks we've seen recently.

But she was also keen to point out that it will take significant time to understand India's market which was varied and unique and it was important how Australia positioned itself.

Ms Skinner also said food security was a considerable topic in India, but there was a desire to improve self-sufficiency there despite the challenges of managing a variable climate.

"That is something where there's a huge desire for shared learning opportunities between Australia and India, particularly given our recent experiences our floods and fires," she said.

"We have to be very patient in that market, though, and we need to think about our long-term plan and approach there.

"For the lamb industry, in particular, there is a significant opportunity available with the number of potential consumers in India, so we need to think carefully about out how we market that lamb product and how we stand out."

It prompted Ms Skinner to think about nurturing the growth of Australian lamb there, which included promoting initiatives like home barbequing or even through sports like cricket or television shows like Masterchef, "which is huge over there," she said.

But such positive words have not materialised for moves to phase out live sheep exports by sea.

There has not been a lot of positive feedback for that policy decision from agriculture sectors, with the federal government's own advisory panel acknowledging strong opposition to the policy during its recent inquiry.

"An overwhelming majority of those people who attended our public meetings voiced their opposition to the government's decision to implement its election commitment and phase out live sheep exports by sea," the panel said in a statement.

The government has pledged to continue with the planned phase out, which Ms Skinner said would be disastrous if done over the short term.

In their submission to the inquiry Sheep Producers Australia outlined their opposition and said there'd be a decrease in sheep flock and an increase in on-farm animal welfare risk, among other consequences.

"When you're talking about phasing out the live sheep export industry, you're removing a critical supply chain for the Western Australian sheep industry," she said.

"The huge concern is there is going to be a significant impact on farmgate prices and competition, which is going to have ongoing effects for not just businesses, but their families and the communities that are all reliant on the WA live sheep export chains."

Another concern was that the policy could tarnish of Australia's trading reputation that had been built over the years.

She cited another recent overseas trip to the Middle East recently in making her point.

"Countries in the Middle East have been key trading partners with us for about 50-60 years," she said.

"It was repeated to us many times when we were visiting these countries that 'the sheep was the official ambassador of Australia'."

"There is a long history of trading in many cultures of the Middle East. Trust in trading is is built on relationships and fostered over time.

"They have high regard for the quality of our product and the fact that we've got a reliable supply out of Australia."

Ms Skinner acknowledges there are also challenges for sheep producers that "need to be navigated" through ongoing EU Trade Agreement negotiations, she remains optimistic the industry could benefit from immense opportunities there.

"If we're going to continue to take advantage of pretty amazing conditions in Australia, which is currently at record levels of production as well as great carcase weights, we need to make sure that there are as many opportunities as possible for our producers and exporters to capitalise on that success and to continue to grow as an industry," she said.

"Part of that is securing ongoing new market access, but also looking to see how we can develop and expand existing market and access as the consumer profile changes."