WA beef cattle have made it onto the Thai menu for potential trade and investment growth opportunities.
That was the feeling after Northern Beef Futures (NBF) hosted a visit last week by a delegation of Thai government and beef industry representatives focussing on the Kimberley.
NBF agribusiness and investment development manager Daniel Marshall said a significant part of the tour was "on the ground" in the Kimberley, with visits to Gogo, Liveringa and Kilto stations.
"WA has been put on the Thai radar," Mr Marshall said.
"There is a genuine interest to grow supply chain partnerships for feeder cattle from the northern region.
"The delegates indicated that they want to work with producers to create commercial relationships and to provide the market and cattle performance feedback straight back to producers.
"They were very impressed with the quality of the cattle and also with the irrigation systems to produce grass and sorghum as supplementary feed."
He said they were also interested in genetics, particular Brahman, Brahman-cross and Droughtmaster.
Kimberley Cattleman's Association chairman Peter Camp welcomed the delegates, who included the Thai ambassador to Australia and the Thailand Board of Investment, for a five-day visit.
They also inspected abattoir facilities being developed by Yeeda Pastoral Company and toured Broome port and pre-quarantine facilities.
In Perth the delegation visited the Muchea saleyards and Fremantle Port export facilities and met with Department of Agriculture and Food officials.
As reported last week in Farm Weekly, the visit followed livestock missions to Thailand by representatives from NBF and the WA private sector during the past two years.
It also coincided with further reductions this year in tariffs and quotas on imports from Australia under the 2005 Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
That agreement had removed 94 per cent of tariffs and quotas in 2010.
NBF is a four-year project funded by the Royalties for Regions program.
It aims to transform the northern beef sector to become a more prosperous, sustainable and resilient pastoral industry through market diversity and improved business models and supply chains.
Mal Gill
Wool and dairy writer for Farm Weekly.
Wool and dairy writer for Farm Weekly.
