WA live exporter Wellard has secured more than 18,000 cattle which will leave Fremantle this month enroute to South East Asian markets.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
Wellard Middle East and North Africa export manager and air-freight divisions manager Tim O'Donnell said it was a challenge to source the type of breeder cattle they required.
"We were really pleased however with the support from producers and stations," he said.
"We are getting towards the end of the season and with the volumes everyone is looking for it is competitive."
Wellard had nine quarantine depots full of cattle across WA this week, ready for shipping to South East Asian clients.
The Ocean Outback loaded about 6750 cattle on the weekend at Fremantle.
Included in the Outback shipment were 600 Brahman breeder heifers for Indonesia.
"The breeding cattle we have sourced are part of Indonesia's new import protocols which require one productive female for every five feeder steers," he said.
"That requirement was formally decreed by the Indonesian Agriculture Ministry this week.
"They are a fantastic line of female cattle."
The renegotiation of the regulations between the Indonesian and Australian governments is expected to see more productive breeding cattle and buffalo exported, helping Indonesia build its productive herds and boosting farm-gate returns for Australian farmers.
The introduction of the new breeder agreement requires 20 per cent of cattle shipped from Australia to be used for breeding purposes.
Mr O'Donnell said the selectors of those heifers had tight specifications and were astute in their selection.
"They were focusing on the right size heifer for suit their processes and the bulls they will put over them," he said.
"They were very specific on the conformation, from what I could see they were looking for good framed-types of heifers and true to type."
Wellard also loaded the Ocean Drover with 12,000 head this week before stopping in Darwin enroute to South East Asian clients.
He said four Wellard staff from the northern division helped out during the process.
He said due to the large quantity of cattle, Wellard had used the opportunity to cross-train and share ideas between its northern and WA counterparts.
"We brought our northern team down for some cross training and to share some ideas," he said.
"We are pushing hard to develop our team."
A Wellard spokesperson said the company was pleased with the support shown by stakeholders and service providers, particularly considering the large volume of livestock moving through the export system at the moment.
"Overall we are very pleased with the quality and condition of the cattle for both shipments, which is a testament to the efforts of the producers and the wonderful season being experienced in WA," he said.
