Building relationships for the north
Host: Northern Beef Futures
Written by Northern Beef Futures Team – Department of Agriculture and Food, WA State Government.
As part the Department of Agriculture and Food, WA’s (DAFWA) Northern Beef Futures (NBF) project we are working to support industry to facilitate trade and build relationships with importers of WA beef and cattle. One of the ways we do this is to host international supply chain delegations to Western Australia to help facilitate the establishment of new markets and develop integrated supply chain options for the WA beef industry.
In October 2015 a targeted group with commercial interests from the Thailand beef supply chain and government, including the Australian Ambassador to Thailand and representatives from the Thailand Board of Investment. In the Kimberley region we introduced some members of the group directly to producers on-station, so that they could gain a first-hand insight into where our northern cattle come from.
The delegation from Thailand at Yeeda Station with Mr Jack Burton and NBF officers.
We were welcomed by the Kimberley & Pilbara Cattleman’s Association and visited a number of cattle stations including Gogo, Liveringa, and Kilto. In the Kimberley we viewed abattoir facilities being developed by Yeeda Pastoral Company, toured the Broome port and pre-quarantine facilities which provided the delegation with a greater appreciation of the logistics involved in shipping cattle from WA’s north.
Members of the Thailand beef industry delegation with NBF staff and Mr Jack Burton (front centre) at Yeeda Pastoral’s processing facilities.
The delegates said that they want to work with producers to create long term commercial relationships and to provide the market and cattle performance feedback direct to producers. They were most impressed with the quality and breeding of the cattle including the irrigation systems to produce grass and sorghum as supplementary feed and showed interest in genetics, in particular the Brahman, Brahman-cross, and Droughtmaster.
Whilst in Perth, we took the group to visit the Muchea saleyards and export facilities in Fremantle. The delegation enjoyed a special Aussie barbecue where they got to see a wide range of different cuts of WA meat and understand how these cuts are best prepared and used in a variety of dishes.
DAFWA’s NBF Market Analyst Dale Miles with Mr Sittiporn Boorananath, Mr Wayu Rojvithee, NBF Investment Manager Daniel Marshall, and Colonel Matana Osothongs with a selection of WA beef products.
We also recently held a joint seminar with the Thailand Board of Investment in Perth where we shared a study completed to consider the potential benefits to WA of establishing a new dedicated export supply chain for WA cattle to Thailand and other regional export markets. This study lays the foundation for the opportunity to allow more detailed feasibility work to be undertaken by the private sector.
We are continuing work with the Thailand government and Board of Investment to consider innovative market opportunities and supply chains for the marketing and distribution of beef and beef co-products in Thailand and the greater ASEAN region. In the near future we will also be receiving other beef supply chain delegations to Western Australia from our other target markets, Indonesia and China, to build trade and further develop relationships.
DAFWA’s Northern Beef Futures project is funded by the State Government Royalties for Regions program. If you would like to know more visit our webpage on the DAFWA website.