Cattle Prices Require More Indonesian Interest
AUSTRALIA – If cattle prices are to improve there needs to be an upturn in live permits from Indonesia, says one farmer in the far North West.
20 June 2013
2 minute read
However, there is little chance of this with buyers selecting from such a large herd, says Warrawagine cattleman, Scott Mills who blames quotas for driving down prices and reducing competition, reports ABC Rural.
"At the moment (exporters) can just pick and choose what they take because there's a lot of cattle here for them and they're only taking a few of them,” Mr Mills told ABC Rural.
"We need to have an increase so (exporters) have to come and chase them and hopefully the prices will go up a bit more."
Because exports from Queensland and the Northern Territory are cheaper this year, none of Mr Mills’s cattle have gone to the Indonesian market. This is why he admits to not being bothered about not selling cattle.
“We're not too fussed about selling our cattle at the moment, we'll hang on a bit, another couple of months maybe and see how we go then,” added Mr Mills. "Having said that, by this time last year we'd sold most of our Indonesian cattle too, so every day is different, every year is different and we've got to roll with the punches a bit."
But, this could risk losing Indonesian trade altogether if fed cattle grow above the 350 kg weight limit imposed by Indonesia. Mr Mills is mindful of this and has sold heavier animals with a view to holding on to anything under 330 kg.
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