Another blow to live cattle trade
.
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Copyright Brian Ellis MLC © 2009 - 2011
The Australian cattle industry is reeling from another blow to the live trade market.
The Indonesian government has announced that the quota for Australian cattle imports will be halved in 2012 "in a move to make Indonesia self-sufficient".
The Indonesian government says it will only import 280,000 Australian cattle in 2012 - down from 520,000 in 2011.
It is understood that the Indonesian objective is to phase out all Australian live beef exports over the next few years.
A spokesman for Indonesia's Agriculture Minister reportedly stated that, in the future, Australian farmers will only be involved with the Indonesian beef market if they breed their cows in Indonesia.
The decision follows the Gillard government's decision to suspend the live trade to Indonesia for a month in 2011 after the ABC's Four Corners program raised concerns about the standards of animal welfare in some Indonesian abattoirs. The trade was later reinstated with stricter regulations but it appears the damage was done.
Unlike the Gillard Government's Agriculture Minister, the Barnett government's Agriculture Minister was quick to visit Indonesia to help restore trade relations. If Minister Joe Ludwig had acted sooner, perhaps the outcome might have been different.
The Indonesian government has announced that the quota for Australian cattle imports will be halved in 2012 "in a move to make Indonesia self-sufficient".
The Indonesian government says it will only import 280,000 Australian cattle in 2012 - down from 520,000 in 2011.
It is understood that the Indonesian objective is to phase out all Australian live beef exports over the next few years.
A spokesman for Indonesia's Agriculture Minister reportedly stated that, in the future, Australian farmers will only be involved with the Indonesian beef market if they breed their cows in Indonesia.
The decision follows the Gillard government's decision to suspend the live trade to Indonesia for a month in 2011 after the ABC's Four Corners program raised concerns about the standards of animal welfare in some Indonesian abattoirs. The trade was later reinstated with stricter regulations but it appears the damage was done.
Unlike the Gillard Government's Agriculture Minister, the Barnett government's Agriculture Minister was quick to visit Indonesia to help restore trade relations. If Minister Joe Ludwig had acted sooner, perhaps the outcome might have been different.
