United for live export

Transparency, a united industry and social media are three pillars being used in the fight for WA’s live export trade.

Transcending industry links through social media platforms, the Sheep Collective is imploring industry members from truck drivers to farming families to contribute their stories to the movement.

One farmer already sharing her story is Woodanilling woman Bindi Murray, who said the Sheep Collective was about showing what live export meant to the sheep industry and the regional communities it supported.

“I’m involved as a producer. One of the things we thought was really important and what the Sheep Collective could do is work across the supply chain,” she said.

“We actually need to make sure we’re passing the baton along all of the links. You can’t sort of get to the end of your part of the supply chain and go, ‘Well, that’s for someone else to take care of’.

“(It’s about) getting those relationships and those conversations happening, so we’re really focused all the way along.”

With a presence on Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter — and a website — the Sheep Collective discusses everything around the trade, including farm infrastructure, preparation for livestock transport and ventilation aboard live export ships.

“I think it is really important people seeing the process. It’s not like we just go and grab some random sheep, put them on a boat and off they go,” Ms Murray said.

“There’s a whole process leading up to export. There’s a video on there of me inspecting sheep before we go and talking about the steps that I do on farm.

“We have as an industry some great characters and great stories but we’re not an industry that likes talking about ourselves.

“It would be fantastic to get people who are not involved in the industry the opportunity to know some of the great characters we have.”