"Sick and tired" farm leaders have staged a walkout during a speech being delivered by Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Murray Watt following the government revealing its live sheep by sea transition plan last week.
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Mr Watt was addressing the Croplife post-budget breakfast, on how the government intended to build Australia's sustainable agriculture sector, at Parliament House on Wednesday morning when the exodus took place.
The group included the National Farmers Federation, Wool Producers Australia, Sheep Producers Australia, Cattle Australia, Australian Livestock Export Council, WA Farmers, AgForce Queensland and NSW Farmers.
They left the event when Mr Watt started talking about the ban.
"We turned our back to the Minister just like he turned his back on farmers," NFF president David Jochinke said.
"The walkout represents what this government did to agriculture when it pursued this ideological agenda, disregarding the real-world implications this ban will have on farmers, communities, our trading relationships and animal welfare outcomes.
"Overseas farmers are taking to the streets to rebel against governments who won't listen. We don't want that here, but is that what our leaders want?
"We are putting this government on notice. We are only just getting warmed up. There's plenty of fight in farmers."
However, Mr Watt said he had met with Mr Jochinke and NFF chief executive Tony Mahar on Tuesday to talk about future collaboration opportunities and was "not too concerned about their stunts".
"While a handful of NFF leadership and their staff walked out, a couple of hundred ag leaders - including many NFF members - stayed," he said.
Meanwhile, Cattle Australia chief executive Chris Parker also participated in the walkout and said the government's live sheep decision served as a warning to not just Australia's 52,000 grass-fed cattle producers but the entire farm sector.
He pointed to a claim made online by the Animal Justice Party last weekend that it had secured a preference deal with the Albanese government to hasten the end of the live sheep exports by sea trade.
A government source had previously poured cold water on the AJP claim, but Dr Parker said it had sent shivers through the industry.
"For too long in this country, agriculture has been used as a bargaining chip to appease the ideological whims of extreme groups," Dr Parker said.
"We are sick and tired of being taken for granted by governments who seem to have very little understanding of food production systems and who blatantly choose to ignore credible scientific and economic data to pander to fringe groups.
"Every cattle producer, along with anyone who has an informed interest in Australian agriculture, is deeply concerned by the actions of this Government and what could be coming down the line."
The walkout occurred as Mr Watt turned to the live sheep by sea export ban.
"Of course, let's address the sheep in the room. While I would always hope we can all be on the same page on every issue about improving the sustainability of the ag sector, the truth is that there are some things we don't always agree on," he said.
"And that's okay. It's a democracy. And of course, the most obvious example of that is the announcement that I made on the weekend in Perth to phase out live export of sheep by sea on May 1, 2028."
After the walkout Mr Watt said: "Just as well I didn't talk about it early in the speech".
On that note, Mr Watt's address was to discuss the swing in government focus to sustainability in this year's agriculture Budget.
"Our government is not going to leave it to farmers or the ag supply chain, to turn climate change from a challenge to an opportunity on their own," he said.
"We're not going to make it the sector's issue to solve.As the government, it is our responsibility to the ag sector - and the wider Australian public - to help businesses reduce their emissions.
"The truth is that farmers and Australians living in rural and regional Australia face more severe impacts of climate change. And the truth is, without intervention, things will get worse.
"If we get this right, not only will the food and fibre we produce be better for longer, but we will also have yet another competitive advantage over our international competitors."
