| Livestock capability overview With its huge land mass, technical expertise and stringent quality controls, Australia is internationally recognised as a trusted producer of high quality livestock.
The industry has been a vital contributor to the economies of regional and rural Australia since the mid 1970s and now the country is one of the biggest exporters of livestock in the world. In addition, Australia is free of agricultural diseases such as BSE and FMD and has strict quarantine protocols to maintain that status.
Animal welfare concerns are a high priority in the exporting of livestock from Australia and every consignment has to meet stringent export standards which are vigorously controlled by accredited inspection agencies.
In 2005, livestock exports generated around $700 million in revenue.
The industry creates around 9,000 jobs in rural and regional Australia, including jobs such as livestock agents, transport operators, exporters and shipping company workers and generates $1.8 billion a year in GDP to the economy (Source: Meat and Livestock Australia – MLA).
In 2005, Australian sheep and cattle were exported from 18 separate ports across Australia to 29 countries across the globe.
Livestock exports included 4.2 million live sheep and lamb, 573,000 cattle and 42,000 goats, generating revenue of some $700 million. (Source: MLA). While the majority of those livestock exports were destined for slaughter, a small number were exported for breeding or dairy purposes.
The demand for international trade in live animals continues because of the cultural preference for freshly slaughtered meat, particularly in Middle East markets.
In 2005 the value of live animal exports to the major Muslim markets was around $557 million, including approximately $320 million to the Middle East.
MLA predicts that by 2010, live sheep exports from Australia will hit five million, while cattle exports will top 800,000 annually.
Sheep
Of the 4.2 million sheep and lamb exported from Australia in 2005, around 1.2 million were exported to Saudi Arabia. Other important markets include Kuwait and Jordan.
Australian sheep and lamb are also exported to United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Ukraine,
Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Brunei, China, Japan, the US, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and the Philippines.
Sheep and lamb exports generated $280 million in revenue in 2005. (Source: World Trade Atlas).
Cattle
Around 573,000 cattle were exported in 2005, generating revenue of some $407 million (includes beef and dairy cattle).
Indonesia is the key market for Australian cattle exports, accounting for 56 per cent of export numbers in 2005. Other important export markets include Malaysia and the Philippines.
Australian cattle is also exported to the following countries; Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Palestinian territories, Mauritius, Kuwait, Mexico, China, India, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and the US.
Dairy cattle
Of the total cattle exported in 2005, least 49,000 were for dairy purposes, with China accounting for 54 per cent of those exports. Mexico was the second largest export destination, accounting for 31 per cent of the market, while other significant markets included Kuwait and United Arab Emirates.
Dairy cattle exports generated $18.8 million in 2005 (Source: World Trade Atlas).
Goat
Australia’s major live goat export markets are Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, which account for 69 per cent of the market. Singapore, Jordan, China and Brunei are other significant export destinations. Goat exports generated just over $5 million in revenue in 2005. (Source: World Trade Atlas)
For more information please visit:
www.ausmeat.com.au – Ausmeat
www.halalaustralia.com – Australian Halal Food Directory
www.daff.gov.au – Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
www.mla.com.au – Meat & Livestock Australia |
 |
|
