The Northern Territory is cattle country.

In the late 1800s, pastoralism drove the settlement of the Territory, provided its first jobs and led to further economic development.

More than 150 years on, the industry continues to grow and evolve, contributing over $1.2 billion per year to the Territory’s GDP.

The first shipments of cattle by sea began in the 1880s, with Territory cattle being sent by sea to places such as Jakarta, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Shipments continued in the intervening years, but the cattle export trade really hit its stride
in the late 1970s, when several economic and practical factors made it far more desirable to send northern cattle to market overseas.

Northern Territory Livestock Exporters Association Chair Nick Thorne says: “Prior to and during World War ll, there was high demand for domestic production, but in following years pastoralists began to seek out additional markets for cattle sales, leading to a sharp increase in exports to our Southeast Asian trading partners, such as Indonesia.”

The NTLEA has owned and operated the Berrimah Export Yards for more than 40 years.

The yards are ideally situated less than 10 kilometres from the port.

In the past decade, the yards have had a significant upgrade with modern, state-of-the-art sheds incorporating an Indonesian feedlot design, making them the premier all-weather yards in northern Australia.

The NTLEA regularly hosts multiple national and international visitors keen to learn more about the trade and see a working yard in action.

The yards are operated under stringent biosecurity measures with regular consultation with the Territory
and Federal governments as a part of their licensing requirements as a quarantine facility.

The modern era of the cattle export trade brought with it significant opportunity for exports to decrease the impact that seasonable conditions in the Top End have on cattle weight and finishing.

The NTLEA was incorporated in 1980, just a few years before its counterpart, the Northern Territory Cattleman’s Association.

NTLEA Vice Chair Patrick Underwood says: “In the early days, it was really cattle men who started the NTLEA with a number of them acquiring export licences to move cattle north by sea and not overland. They formed the association that we know today, to gain strength in unity as the importance of the trade became apparent. There was a need for a strong, united voice.”

He says exporting live cattle to Asia required a great degree “vision”, but with producers and exporters pulling together the “trade soon took off”.

“Live export offers good returns on investment. It creates wealth and jobs – and helps feed a growing population in Asia.”

Indeed, the live export trade underpins the economy across most of the Territory, supporting jobs in the cattle industry, logistics, trucking, farming and many others.

But the livestock export industry faces a number of exigent challenges, from biosecurity incursions to sovereign risk, including the Labor Government’s ban on live sheep exports.

In 2011, the Territory cattle export industry was shut down for six weeks, causing upwards of $1 billion in damages, which is an indication of the massive impact on the economy that any disruption of the trade can have on the Territory.

Additionally, the ever-present danger of biosecurity incursions that could decimate the industry require continued vigilance and funding from both the Territory and Commonwealth governments.

With recent incursions of lumpy skin disease and foot-and-mouth disease in our nearest neighbor Indonesia. It’s more important than ever to be working closely with our trading partners. By exporting livestock as a reliable protein source, we are in the ideal position to educate, collaborate and build bilateral strategies together to mitigate risks.

The Indonesian herd has suffered because of the incursions with numbers dropping to record lows
and this has afforded the NT with significant opportunities to fill this gap.

NTLEA CEO Patrick Moran says: “Last year saw a 100,000 head increase in cattle exported from the Darwin Port, which is an outstanding result.

“Assuming price stability and increasing demand from Indonesia and other important trading partners, we hope to see the numbers continue to improve year-on-year.”

And there are other positive signs of market growth. The free meals program championed by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto aims to provide nutritious meals to 83 million people by 2029.

“The live export trade to Indonesia makes good sense,” says Mr Underwood. “We’ve got lots of land suited for breeding cattle and very few people; they’ve got a large growing population and very little land suitable for large-scale cattle grazing.

“All of this has led to a sense of real optimism for the future of the live export industry in the Territory.”

But Mr Thorne says: “The NTLEA will not rest on its laurels and will continue to fight for industry growth: “The NTLEA will continue to advocate for biosecurity support for our industry, with increased partnerships with the Territory and Commonwealth governments on expanding Southeast Asian markets and an efficient, common-sense regulatory framework that does not overstep the mark.” TQ