Farming groups are ramping up calls to abandon plans for phasing out live sheep exports.
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State and federal agriculture ministers will meet virtually as the staged closure of live exports continues to pose issues for governments.
West Australian Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis remains opposed to the ban and has described the dramatic drop in sheep prices and upcoming policy change as a "perfect storm".
Labor pledged at the 2019 and 2022 federal elections to end the trade, but the Albanese government has consistently said it would not happen this term to allow the industry a smooth transition.
Ms Jarvis on Tuesday met with WA farmers including live sheep exporters for a roundtable discussion of the proposed ban.
Farmers said the talks focused on the drought and oversupply of sheep as well as their calls for a phase-out to be delayed for at least a decade to allow the industry time to adapt.
Sheep prices have dropped by about 40 per cent since the beginning of the year and producers have linked the falls to the policy change.
Ms Jarvis will provide an update on the challenging market when the ministers meet on Friday.
"Agriculture ministers' meetings are a useful forum to discuss nationwide issues," she told AAP.
WA Farmers' Trevor Whittington said the federal government declaring it would end live sheep exports was already having an impact with some boats no longer coming to Australia.
"They've left the industry in the lurch as we go into a drought because we don't have a domestic market," he told AAP.
Mr Whittington said there had been a rush to offload sheep at low prices.
"Farmers are taking as low as a dollar a head in the saleyards rather than pay $1 a day to feedlot sheep in the hope that the traders can find boats to live export them out," he said.
NSW Farmers also wants its state agriculture minister Tara Moriarty to raise the issue of live exports at the ministers' meeting.
"We would hope to see the agriculture minister consider opportunities to use live exports by sea to support farmers and to uphold animal welfare with the current market and drying conditions," a spokesperson for the group said.
The federal government is expecting a report at the end of October from an independent panel set up to deliver the phase-out of live sheep exports by sea.
Australian Associated Press