Indonesia lifts ban on live cattle exports from Australia

A deal has been reached to end Indonesia’s suspension of live cattle exports from Australia.

Lumpy skin disease causes production losses in cattle.

Indonesia’s quarantine authority is lifting its import ban on live cattle after Australia agreed to a list of eight demands for more stringent surveillance measures against lumpy skin disease, including periodical testing and joint inspections, and early detection in all farms.

The decision comes days after authorities in Jakarta confirmed seven Australian export yards had been suspended over the disease issue, bringing more than 70 per cent of the live export industry capacity to a halt.

Australia’s top veterinary officer, Beth Cookson, led a delegation to Jakarta to meet with Indonesian officials on Thursday to try to convince them of the reliability of wide-ranging testing of some 1000 ­cattle in northern Australia that found no trace of lumpy skin disease.

Indonesia’s quarantine chief, Bambang, confirmed late on Thursday that both sides would accept a new agreement, effectively ending more than a month of trade suspension.

“We have given our approval to reopen the import, after Australia expressed its readiness to meet Indonesia’s Quarantine Agency’s demands to guarantee that the live cattle sent to Indonesia are healthy,” he said.

Mr Bambang said a planned joint investigation later this month would involve examinations of cattle throughout the supply chain, including at quarantine facilities and on farms.

He said the deal was a compromise for both camps after Australian authorities objected to its samples being tested in Indo­nesian labs, while Jakarta criticised the sampling as too randomised and unscientific.

“Both of us were so sure of our own testing results, and in search of the real source of the LSD we are both committed to conduct stringent measures,” he said.

The Indonesian side has insisted that given the incubation period of the disease was four to 14 days in experimental exposure but natural transmission could take up to four weeks, it was much more likely the 24 infected animals that tested positive for LSD had been exposed to the virus in the seven Australia premises from which they came.

Australian authorities cited new research suggesting the virus could be detected within two days of exposure. Mr Bambang said he could accept the theory, and that the virus was not contracted in Australia.

Indonesia is Australia’s largest market for live cattle, with more than 300,000 head exported there annually.

An Australian government spokesperson on Friday said the announcement by Indonesia was premature and no deal had officially been reached although a further meeting on Friday night was expected to finalise it.

Additional reporting: Charlie Peel