THE Greens have demanded a comprehensive list of documents on recent activities involving Livestock Shipping Services (LSS) from Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce's office.
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NSW Greens Senator and live exports spokesperson Lee Rhiannon (pictured) moved a controversial motion in the Federal Senate last week.
It requested "all documents and correspondence" relating to LSS, from November 1 last year "to the present day", be tabled in the Senate no later than tomorrow.
The documents include all letters and emails; briefing notes, including recorded or noted phone calls and meetings, including meeting minutes.
The move is designed to gather information on LSS's activities to target questions on live exports during upcoming Senate estimates hearings, starting on May 26.
At estimates hearings, ministerial departments and departmental officials face scrutiny over key industry issues like the government's Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System (ESCAS) and market access.
LSS has been heavily targeted by anti-live exports campaigners in recent months for a perceived rogue attitude towards animal welfare to win market share.
Tensions peaked over an incident in Jordan during the annual two-day religious Festival of Eid al-Adha in mid-October, where it was alleged about 10,000 Australian sheep were sold at multiple locations, outside of ESCAS approved supply chains.
The department's subsequent investigation concluded 2718 sheep exported by LSS under ESCAS requirements were moved outside the approved LSS Jordan supply chain.
The report recommended regulatory action including "additional activities to strengthen control and traceability" in that market.
Senator Rhiannon said her document request was designed to create a paper trail (on LSS's activities) due to "increasing concern" Mr Joyce was "hell-bent" on opening new markets for Australian livestock exports.
However, the Greens argue that expanding the live export trade was "a backward step for farming communities", she said.
She wants live exports phased out and replaced with a frozen and boxed meat trade, underpinned by greater domestic processing.