Croc farms struggle to overcome export delays due to COVID

TERRITORY croc farms have been struggling to make ends meet as the coronavirus pandemic delays international skin exports and bumps up airfreight costs

• $40m world-leading crocodile farm planned for Darwin
• Early wet season to bring out more active crocs across the Top End

TERRITORY croc farms have been struggling to make ends meet as the coronavirus pandemic delays international skin exports and bumps up airfreight costs.

Berry Springs croc farm owners Wayne Kinbacher and Charmaine Carter, who have been supplying skins to Louis Vuitton for nearly five years, said they deliveries bound for Singapore and France that were delayed for about four months.

“We couldn’t get our skins out of the country in April due to a lack of flights and we’ve only just managed to get them over there just recently,” Ms Carter said.

“If we didn’t also have our abattoir business, Berry Springs Pet Meat, I don’t how we would have managed to pull through COVID.”

Croc farm owners Wayne Kinbacher and Charmaine Carter have about 1500 crocs in the Darwin rural area. Picture GLENN CAMPBELL

The closure of Australia’s borders in March has significantly reduced airfreight capacity because around 80 per cent of air cargo is traditionally transported to and from Australia by passenger aircraft.

Ms Carter said she knew of a few other croc farms across the Top End who were also struggling to get their skins overseas.

The Northern Territory’s crocodile industry has been valued at more than $100 million a year.

Industry veteran Grahame Webb from Crocodylus Park said he recently halted the skin production side of his business to focus more on tourism endeavours.

“I know many croc farms here have joint ventures with global fashion houses so I’d imagine most have held on during COVID,” he said.

“But with the downturn of the economy it’s fair to say the demand for luxury goods isn’t going to be the same.”

Professor Grahame Webb from Crocodylus Park said he recently halted the skin production side of his business to focus more on tourism endeavours

Koorana Crocodile Farm owner John Lever said their international export of skins had been temporarily halted a few months ago due the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy.

Australian accounts for 60 per cent of the global trade in crocodile skins, with two thirds of that produced in the Northern Territory.

The main export markets for skins are Singapore, France, Japan and Italy and the main export markets for meat are Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, United States and Canada.

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It comes after Darwin business man Mick Burns recently revealed his plans to build a $40 million international best practice crocodile farm at Lambells Lagoon, Humpty Doo.

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