Live Export Relief as New Cattle Density Rules Delayed
AUSTRALIA - Cattle exporters have been granted an 11th-hour reprieve after being told yesterday tougher new rules that reduce stocking densities up to 15 per cent will not come into effect from today as originally planned.
3 June 2019
1 minute read
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources told cattle exporters yesterday the Australian Meat and Livestock Industry (Export of Livestock by Sea) Order 2019, had not been signed and so would not be in place as planned on June 1.
However, the department said it still planned to implement the proposed new requirements, a key recommendation of the Review of Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock completed this year, and would inform the industry of the new date shortly, providing 10 working days’ notice.
Reduced stocking densities, based on a number of factors including the length of the voyage and weight of cattle, reduce profitability, with cattle producers wearing the brunt.
Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen’s Association chief executive Emma White said more careful consideration of the implications were welcome, as the reduced stocking densities had the potential to cause a big financial impact on cattle producers.
She cited an example from the Australian Live Exporters Council, which said a ship normally carrying 5000 lighter cattle to Indonesia may need carry as few as 4300 head, increasing freight costs by $20 an animal, which would be passed on to cattle producers.
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Source: The West Australian
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