April 27, 2007

 

Australia may import cattle feed 

 

 

As the crisis in Australia's rural sector worsens, the country may resort to importation of cattle feed which is the first time in the country's cattle history, an agriculture official said.

 

Unless there is substantial rainfall this weekend and for the next couple of weeks, Australia will have to look to its neighbouring countries to ease on the unprecedented lack of stock feed which is besieging beef and dairy farmers across the country, Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran said.

 

McGauran said importation will be confirmed towards late May but will probably happen "sooner¡­its better to be safe than sorry".

 

While there is enough grain for sheep and cattle at the moment, it's the lack of roughage that is panicking Australia's 80,000 beef and dairy farmers.

 

Roughage is an essential part of a cow's diet and includes hay or other coarse feed.

 

But strict quarantine regulations hinder Australia to import hay, thus, the industry's resorting to import hybrid roughage blends.

 

A news report reveals Australia could be forced to import palm kernel meal from the Pacific Islands, soybean and corn meal from Canada, New Zealand and the US, stock feed pellets from New Zealand and tapioca from Thailand.

 

Figures for 2006 show there were 26,000 beef and dairy properties in New South Wales (NSW), with herds totalling to 5.7 million. In 2004 to 2005, Australia exported $6.9 billion worth of beef, veal and dairy products.

 

NSW Farmers Association president Jock Laurie said the demand for stock feed--in particular roughage--would ''certainly become greater''.

 

Laurie said some parts of NSW were in an ''absolutely dire situation'', forcing stock into abattoirs.