Sticking with governmenty news for a sec, Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt yesterday confirmed Australia’s live sheep export trade will end on 1 May 2028 because the industry has shown “time and again that they are unable to meet the community’s expectations”. He’s promised a 5-year $107 million support package to support the transition in the move that fulfils a Labor promise. It’s been welcomed by animal rights groups who oppose the practice but has disappointed the National Farmers’ Federation whose members are “shocked” by the timeline and say Watt has booked them “on the express train to disaster”. Live sheep exports are worth about $77 million a year – that’s down about 90% from 20 years ago. The industry has also been under pressure following a series of disasters, including in 2017 when 2,400 sheep died from heat stress on the Awassi Express.