NTCA Chief Executive Officer Romy Carey and Director Don White attended the annual Importer–Exporter Meeting in Jakarta last week, joining Australian and Indonesian livestock industry representatives to discuss the future of one of the Northern Territory cattle industry’s most important export relationships.
The annual meeting brings together exporters, importers, peak industry bodies and service delivery organisations from both countries to work through key trade issues, welfare improvements, biosecurity challenges and market development opportunities.
For the Northern Territory, these discussions are particularly important given Indonesia remains a cornerstone destination for Territory feeder cattle and a major driver of confidence across the northern live export trade.
A major focus of this year’s meeting was biosecurity, particularly in relation to the evolving Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) situation within Indonesia and the recent outbreak reported in Bali.
There was broad support from both Australian and Indonesian stakeholders for continued practical cooperation on disease preparedness, recognising that livestock health capability within Indonesia is directly linked to trade continuity, importer confidence and long-term market stability.
Industry participants and Importers were strongly supportive of the rollout of a practical Lumpy Skin Disease vaccination program within Bali, with importers reinforcing the importance of proactive intervention and ongoing technical cooperation to minimise disease risk and maintain confidence across the supply chain.
A number of additional discussions were also held with attendees outside the formal meeting regarding what practical support may be required from industry to assist implementation of such a program should it proceed.
Animal welfare also remained a central part of discussions, with updates provided on the practical in-market welfare programs continuing across Indonesian facilities, including infrastructure improvements, slaughter training, stunning clinics and ongoing supply chain repair works.
These programs continue to deliver measurable improvements across the supply chain while also reinforcing Australia’s commitment to maintaining world-leading welfare standards in market.
The meeting also examined broader market access and development opportunities, including the ongoing ESCAS review, import permit reliability, stronger communication around existing industry programs and future opportunities for in-market product development.
This included the revival of feeder steer competitions, expansion of the YARN nutrition network to support continued professional development for feedlot nutritionists, stronger Australian product identity associated with live cattle and technical support to assist importers and feedlots in developing higher-value retail offerings.
NTCA will continue to work closely with exporters, importers and national industry bodies to ensure the Northern Territory remains actively engaged in protecting and strengthening this critical market.
