![Victorian farmers fear the effect of the live sheep export phaseout. Picture supplied Victorian farmers fear the effect of the live sheep export phaseout. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/229623862/7d26d0ba-3658-4b4a-9877-d2b88f66780b.jpg/r0_29_1097_648_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Agriculture Victoria has conducted analysis on the effect on the state of the live sheep export ban in Western Australia.
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Agriculture Minister Ros Spence told Stock & Land she had not yet been furnished with the findings of the research but expected to receive it soon.
She said officials in her department had not raised concerns with her on the impact of the ban on Victorian sheep producers.
Stock & Land has requested the findings of the Agriculture Victoria analysis.
Ms Spence said any farmer fears of a ripple effect across Australia's wider sheep industry were "hypothetical and speculative" at this stage and the phaseout was in its "early stages".
"My advice to farmers would be if they have concerns about how it will impact them, they should contact Agriculture Victoria and seek advice," she said.
The Minister would not be drawn on whether she supported the export phase out or not.
"I'm not going to comment on a decision made by another level of government," she said.
Ms Spence said she had not raised the matter with Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt.
However, she said the two had a "very good" working relationship.
She said she got the opportunity to raise issues with and discuss national agricultural matters with her state agriculture minister peers at meetings.
"He has visited me in Melbourne to discuss priorities and he has been on the phone to me regularly," she said.
"I think he's a really good federal minister to work with."
Ms Spence said that while each state had different priority areas for agriculture, there was nothing where Victoria was "out of sync with anyone".
Well-known sheep industry expert and Lambs Alive founder Jason Trompf feared Victorian producers would be affected by the live sheep export phase out in WA.
"I think first of all myself and the entire sheep industry, we feel for producers in WA," he said.
"I do have concerns about the impact of [the phase out] on them but also the wider sheep industry."
He said Australia had a "real advantage" when compared to other sheep producing countries due to the critical mass of its breeding flock.
"WA is in the top two or three states in the country for flock numbers," he said.
"I do think it has the potential to have a ripple effect on our ability to restock."
Mr Trompf said when Victoria, and east Australia had had sheep numbers flex due to a few bad seasons, WA enabled a flock rebuild.
He said a couple of million ewes came across state lines a couple of years back.
"When we want to build numbers here, next time we have a series of bad seasons and our numbers drop, we may not have that," he said.
"If they lose that critical mass, I see that as part of losing our critical mass in our national flock and losing our ability to adapt and have a resilient flock.
"It is a unique sort of climate compared to us in the east.
"They can have a good season compared to us and vice versa."
Mr Trompf said this diversity seen across Australia was part of the sheep industry's strength and warned that unfortunately, this would now be compromised.