February 19, 2008

Indonesia to tap on other beef markets as Australian beef gets pricier

An Indonesian beef company, which buys majority of Australian live export cattle, confirmed that it is looking for other options as meat traders rallied at feedlots to boycott Australian beef.

Bruce Warren, of Santori Agribusiness, which imports about 90,000 cattle a year into Indonesia, said the industry is facing pressure on imported meat as cheaper form of protein is sought by the market.

Warren confirmed that every importer of live cattle in Indonesia have looked on possibilities of getting cattle from Brazil or Argentina.

However, South American countries cannot also provide cheaper options as their economies are also having problems and the prices of beef were also high, Warren explained.