20 May 2025. Lloyd Hick, AgForce Cattle Board.
Just last week, I travelled to Jakarta with a contingent of AgForce Cattle Board directors to reaffirm our strategic commitment to live export as a key pillar of Queensland's cattle industry.
The timing and location of the event - the Live Export Program (LEP) Expo - provided us with a unique platform to advance Queensland's position in this critical trade. It brought together Indonesian importers, Australian exporters, government representatives, and industry bodies all to one location to get a clearer understanding of the issues we collectively face.
Live export remains a substantial contributor to our northern cattle industry. Queensland supplies a significant share of the estimated 400,000 head of cattle that are exported to Indonesia each year.
The Indonesian market, supported by strong demand and established feedlot infrastructure, represents not only a vital outlet for our tropical breed cattle, but also provides a pricing floor that helps stabilise the broader domestic market for producers.
The Expo was co-hosted by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and LiveCorp, with all the Australian state cattle bodies and the Australian Livestock Exporters Council (ALEC) in attendance. This level of unified representation from across the trade reflects the strength and coordination that underpins Australia's northern cattle industry.
Our itinerary included a tour of Indonesia's cold chain import operations, allowing us to see and understand firsthand the other half of the supply chain - from discharge to storage, and through to distribution.
We visited cold stores, local abattoirs, and wet markets-illustrating the speed and scale with which Australian beef enters the Indonesian food system. The visit concluded with a tour of a commercial feedlot receiving Australian cattle, giving us valuable insights into how Queensland's livestock transitions into the Indonesian supply environment.
A particularly productive aspect of the trip was meeting His Excellency Dr Siswo Pramono, the Indonesian Ambassador to Australia. I extend my sincere thanks to Dr Pramono and all who so generously hosted us for their time and willingness to engage openly and constructively with our delegation.
The Expo itself was highly rewarding. Presentations covered a broad spectrum of trade issues, including updates on Indonesia's Nutritious Meals Program. It's a major national initiative that, if fully implemented, will require a significant uplift of live cattle imports from Australia.
Its success or otherwise will depend on stable, long-term trade volumes and a clear policy framework between both governments.
There are two key takeaways from this trip - partnerships and relationships.
At its core, the live export trade to Indonesia is based on a simple model-Australia has the cattle, Indonesia has the feedlots and demand. This fundamental partnership must remain central to policy discussions. There is no need to overcomplicate what is a commercially logical and mutually beneficial trade.
However, equally important are the relationships that underpin this trade. Our shared interests are supported by longstanding friendships along the supply chain.
What was clear to me throughout the week is that Indonesian stakeholders have a strong and genuine interest in how cattle are raised in Queensland. They understand and respect the care that goes into our production systems.
It is this mutual understanding, strengthened by face-to-face engagement, that will help us navigate regulatory issues and build confidence in the trade's future.
