"Sick and tired" farm leaders have staged a walkout during a speech being delivered by Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Murray Watt following the government revealing its live sheep by sea transition plan last week.
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Mr Watt was addressing the Croplife post-budget breakfast, on how the government intended to build Australia's sustainable agriculture sector, at Parliament House on Wednesday morning when the exodus took place.
The group included the National Farmers Federation, Wool Producers Australia, Sheep Producers Australia, Cattle Australia, Australian Livestock Export Council, WA Farmers, AgForce Queensland and NSW Farmers.
They left the event when Mr Watt started talking about the ban.
"We turned our back to the Minister just like he turned his back on farmers," NFF president David Jochinke said.
"The walkout represents what this government did to agriculture when it pursued this ideological agenda, disregarding the real-world implications this ban will have on farmers, communities, our trading relationships and animal welfare outcomes.
"Overseas farmers are taking to the streets to rebel against governments who won't listen. We don't want that here, but is that what our leaders want?
"We are putting this government on notice. We are only just getting warmed up. There's plenty of fight in farmers."
Meanwhile, Cattle Australia chief executive Chris Parker also participated in the walkout and said the government's live sheep decision served as a warning to not just Australia's 52,000 grass-fed cattle producers but the entire farm sector.
He pointed to a claim made online by the Animal Justice Party last weekend that it had secured a preference deal with the Albanese government to hasten the end of the live sheep exports by sea trade.
A government source had previously poured cold water on the AJP claim, but Dr Parker said it had sent shivers through the industry.
"For too long in this country, agriculture has been used as a bargaining chip to appease the ideological whims of extreme groups," Dr Parker said.
"We are sick and tired of being taken for granted by governments who seem to have very little understanding of food production systems and who blatantly choose to ignore credible scientific and economic data to pander to fringe groups.
"Every cattle producer, along with anyone who has an informed interest in Australian agriculture, is deeply concerned by the actions of this government and what could be coming down the line."
