Summary

The livestock export industry has a complex relationship with the community.

While there is strong recognition of its contribution to the Australian economy and nutrition overseas, there is also concern over animal welfare, with some people very vocal in their opposition to the trade. This can put pressure on decision-making by politicians and regulators.

Since 2019, nationally representative surveys have been conducted by independent third party Voconiq, to help understand the community’s views on various facets of the livestock export supply chain. These are based on a solid scientific approach, with the results being used to guide the development of communication, research and policy activities to help re-set the conversation with the Australian public.

This report outlines the findings from year four of the research, which included both the anchor survey and a smaller, follow-up pulse survey.

This project is managed by the Livestock Export RD&E Program, a collaboration between LiveCorp and Meat & Livestock Australia.

Objectives

To gather credible data and report on Australian community attitudes toward livestock exports, including the drivers of trust and acceptance, through nationally representative surveys of more than 4,000 Australians.

Key findings

• Driver of trust: industry responsiveness; regulation; animal welfare standards; importance to overseas markets.

• When asked if “the live export industry makes an important economic contribution to Australia”, 78% of respondents agreed with the statement in both surveys.

• When asked about the relative costs and benefits of live exports, more than three-quarters of respondents (76%) in the pulse survey agreed the benefits outweigh, or are equal to, the costs.

• Average trust and acceptance ratings for the industry both dipped in the 2024 anchor survey before rebounding in the pulse survey to the highest level so far recorded.

• Participants were asked about information sources regarding live exports.

  • There was strong agreement with the question "the information I see about the live export industry often portrays it in a negative light" (anchor = 70%, pulse = 66% agreement)

  • More people agreed that news reports about the industry are sensationalised or exaggerated than disagreed, with a mean of 3.41 (out of 5).

  • When asked in the pulse survey if there should be more balanced coverage presenting both pros and cons to help inform people about the live export industry, the mean was 3.9 (out of 5).

• When asked if they have confidence that the live export industry is taking effective action to ensure the welfare of animals, 56% agreed in the pulse survey.

• As in previous years, there was no significant difference in the way that Australians view live sheep exports relative to the industry in general.

Benefits to industry

This project will ensure politicians, livestock exporters and others have a factual basis for understanding what the community thinks about livestock exports, including trends over time, based on a representative survey of Australians.

It also highlights the key issues of concern, providing guidance for industry management practices, research efforts and communication strategies.