‘Doesn’t cut the mustard’; Letter penned to SPA over lack of wool producer inclusion in Future Flock planning

A joint letter from WAFarmers and several interstate agricultural organisations has been delivered to Sheep Producers Australia, outlining growing frustrations over how funding and consultation have been handled in the development of its Future Flock strategy. The letter, sent to the SPA board on October 31, highlights two key concerns — that woolgrowers have not been adequately represented in the development of the national plan, and that money from the Federal Government’s live sheep export transition package has been used to fund it. WAFarmers president Steve McGuire said the signatories, which included several interstate producer bodies, were united in their concern that wool producers had been sidelined. “WoolProducers Australia was not approached from the start, regarding the strategy,” he said. The Future Flock strategy was announced by SPA in September as a major national initiative to prepare the sheep industry for the Albanese Government’s planned phase-out of live sheep exports by 2028. SPA received $800,000 from the Federal Government’s $1.5 million Community Wellbeing Program to develop the plan, with the money coming out of the broader $139m transition package for affected producers. The transition package was designed to help the nation’s livestock industry transition away from the live sheep export trade ahead of the Federal Government’s plan to ban it in May 2028. SPA chief executive Bonnie Skinner described Future Flock as a unifying blueprint for both the sheepmeat and wool sectors, which would guide industry adaptation during a period of significant change. However, Mr McGuire said many within the industry felt the process had lacked inclusivity and transparency, particularly in how funding was distributed and how consultation was conducted. “The money for national plans shouldn’t come out of the WA transition funding — it’s actually the other States that are probably more adamant about that than we are, they’re quite fired up about this,” he said. He added that while SPA had done commendable work on other grant programs, such as those supporting farm businesses and supply chains, the same level of open consultation was needed for Future Flock. “They’ve done a really good job with the farm business grants and supply chain grants that have been rolling out recently — a lot of hard work there,” he said. “You’ve got to consult on this — having closed grants that no-one knows about, and it’s all a secret — it doesn’t really cut the mustard. “All sheep producers should have been involved in it from the start. The results will have a lot more credibility if everyone’s had a chance to engage in it.” SPA chair Bindi Murray said the organisation welcomed contributions from all sectors of the industry, and consultation would continue as the national strategy took shape. “The Future Flock is the development of an industry strategy,” she said. “This will occur over the coming months and conclude with a presentation of the national strategy at LambEx in July 2026. “SPA’s intent is to offer WPA the same level of strategic input into the Future Flock development as SPA, without the contract-level delivery responsibility.” Ms Murray also clarified the $800,000 in funding allocated to SPA came from the Federal Government’s Transition Assistance Package following industry consultation. “This funding was allocated as a result of the co-design process and the WA industry’s feedback to the Government about what it needs to respond to the phase-out of the live sheep export by sea,” she said. While WoolProducers Australia did not sign or see the letter, chief executive Jo Hall confirmed the national body had shared concerns about the strategy’s development and the lack of clarity around its direction. “While we have been in discussions with SPA about the Future Flock strategy since it was launched, we still do not have enough details as simple questions have not been answered,” she said. “We certainly feel that we should have been notified earlier about the development of this proposal.” The Future Flock strategy will form the basis for individual State roadmaps, including a dedicated West Australian plan to guide the industry through the phase-out to 2028. The final national strategy is expected to be unveiled at LambEx in Adelaide in 2026.