Australian Cattle Industry Suffers After Indonesia Slashed Exports

Australia faces a serious blow to its live cattle industry as Indonesia announces cuts in their live cattle imports. Indonesia is the biggest market for Australia’s cattle export, and the significant reduction in the volume of import by it, has led Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce to think of considering other profitable markets for the export industry.

BBC reports that Indonesia has informed the Australian market that during the quarter of July-September it would issue 50,000 imports permit as opposed to the presumed 200,000 permits for that quarter. It is in fact being considered to be much below the standard figure for the third quarter.

Barnaby Joyce told the reporters on Tuesday that he must not comment on the internal decisions of a country but he would take the earliest opportunity to speak to the respective ministers of Indonesia who are in charge of the import of live cattle. He admitted that the decision to slash the number of live cattle import by it is ‘disappointing’.

“It’s my responsibility to try and find an alternative venue for those cattle,” Joyce said. “I’m working diligently towards an imminent signing of another agreement. We should be also working towards so that in events such as this, if required we have alternate venues for the product”.

Joko Widodo, the Indonesian President cued to increase the self-sufficiency of the country in terms of production of beef within 1 year, when he assumed office last year.

A part of the media linked the drastic cut in the import of live cattle to the strained relationship between the two countries on various issues. The recent scandal over inhuman treatment of the live cattle being exported by Australia is being considered one of the major reasons for the sudden reduction in the import. Though senior government officials have declined to accept any such suggestion as valid.

"Absolutely not. I know there have been some suggestions in the media today and I am disappointed (some people) have decided to play politics," Ms. Penfold told the BBC.

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