Cattle exports set record

01-05-2010 | Not Specified

Overseas demand for high-quality Australian livestock delivered its strongest returns in seven years in 2009 with export earnings reaching A$996.5 million.

At the same time cattle exports to Indonesia established a record.

The number of live cattle exported from Australia increased by almost 10% in 2009 and generated a record A$662 million to the nation's economy.

Latest figures show that last year Australia exported 948,240 cattle - up 80,000 from the previous year's 868,510.

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) livestock exports manager Michael Finucan said it was encouraging to see that demand for high-quality, healthy and disease-free Australian livestock remained strong while revenues in many other industries fell significantly because of the global financial crisis.

"The trade was greatly beneficial in providing an alternative market to cattle producers when the global financial crisis impacted demand for beef in markets such as the United States and Japan," he said.

"Indonesia remains Australia's largest market for cattle, primarily from northern Australia, with the 768,133 cattle exported there last year representing 81 per cent of total export numbers.

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