Live export figures boom for cattle, sheep but fears remain

Live export figures show strong numbers to major customers but “people think that it if it is live sheep today, it could be live cattle tomorrow.”

A flurry of activity in northern ports will cap off a strong year for live cattle exports - but it’s a different story for sheep, with the decision to end the trade in 2028 hanging over the sector and Western Australian sheep producers.

Elders national livestock manager Peter Homann said the end date for live sheep exports had been a big influence over the WA industry but had flowed on those involved with selling live cattle.

“Yes, it is sheep at the moment but people think that it if it is live sheep today, it could be live cattle tomorrow,” Mr Homann said.

“Regardless, it’s been business as usual for live cattle exports, with plenty of action at Darwin at the moment for cattle that were sold in November but being delivered now.”

Mr Homann said exporters had also been filling a ship out of Townsville, Queensland, recently, but had to compete hard with northern processors to get numbers.

The numbers game.

Australian Live Exporters Council chief executive Mark Harvey-Sutton said the live export trade was going well.

He said the major markets forcontinued to be cattle to south-east Asia. “Indonesia continues to be our largest and most important market, with recently inaugurated President Prabowo’s nutritious meals program driving a lot of interest,” Mr Harvey-Sutton said.

“We also saw solid numbers heading to Vietnam again as price and greater movement of cattle in the region post-Covid encouraged renewed trade.”

Mr Harvey-Sutton said volumes to China were down this year largely off the back of tougher economic conditions.

He said this had the flow on effect of reduced shipments out of Portland with shipments being down year-on-year by 18 per cent.

Almost 51,000 cattle were sent from Portland this year, the majority of which were Angus heifers for breeding to China.

There had also been a fall in cattle exports to Israel, which traditionally has been one of Australia’s larger cattle markets, but Mr Harvey-Sutton said ongoing conflict had since seen those numbers drop right down.

When it comes to sheep, Kuwait and Jordan continue to be the major sheep markets for Australian live exports.

This year, until the end of November, Darwin had exported 282,827 cattle to Indonesia, 9994 to Vietnam and 8700 to the Philippines.

This year, Fremantle sent 364,791 sheep from January to November.

Away from the major species, Australia has exported live 13,502 goats, 3940 buffalo, 905 alpacas, 37 camels and 20 llamas this year to date.