Australia has been an exporter of livestock for over 150 years, and it was one of the first industries established in the Northern Territory. This market opportunity encouraged the opening of large cattle stations in the Northern Territory and Kimberley region in the 1880s, which was largely influenced by the potential of exports to Asian markets due to its strategic location.
Today, Northern Australia’s livestock producers provide around three quarters of the $1 billion farm gate value of the live cattle export trade and maintain a world class reputation for being superior, safe, and reliable producers of high-quality Australian beef and buffalo."
Between the 1960s and the 1990s, the northern Australian cattle industry was built on the 3 ‘Bs’ – Brahmans, BTEC and Boats.
Brahman genetics produced an animal that could finally thrive in the harsh tropical conditions of northern Australia – fine coated, heat and parasite resistant animals that were capable of walking long distances for food and water. Their bloodlines would soon become infused across the north, taking over from a predominantly short-horn herd.
Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTEC) was the wake-up call the northern industry needed in the 1980s as cattle producers were forced to muster and test all of their livestock for these diseases. Like ESCAS more than 30 years later, BTEC was a form of control and traceability which provided significant improvements for animal welfare, with regular mustering and important infrastructure allowing regular weaning.
Boats and proximity. Live exports started to gain momentum in the 1980s as the geographical proximity and logic of our northern neighbours pointed to the obvious market for Australia’s northern cattle herd. Southeast Asia offered northern Australian cattle high quality feed and our neighbours produced cheap agricultural by-products all year round, capable of feeding Australia’s northern cattle a diet that could grow and finish them. A short 4-day voyage on a modern ship to feedlots in our markets allows the northern Australian cattle industry to turn off more cattle at a younger age, which maximises the financial returns in a production system that is limited by long dry seasons.
Livestock farming remains a vital trade across northern Australia which continues to encourage development in rural communities, create employment opportunities and attract economic investment in both urban and regional areas. It increases our export revenue and supports the economic growth of the Northern Territory, and Australia.