FMD – Michmutters

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Australia

Bull prices up 20 per cent on last year’s sales despite foot-and-mouth disease threat

Four farmers leaning on a fence with pamphlets, looking at bulls in a pen.

Bull sales across New South Wales have exceeded expectations despite the looming threat of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

Knowla Livestock, a stud based near Gloucester on the Mid North Coast, sold his top bull for $190,000 — the highest price paid nationally for a bull so far this season.

“It was unbelievable — $40,000 was our top price until this year, so we didn’t only break our own record, we absolutely smashed it,” principal James Laurie said.

The stud sold all of the 82 bulls it put to market for an average price of about $26,500.

Mr Laurie had been concerned sale prices would be adversely affected by the FMD outbreak in Indonesia.

Australia is ramping up biosecurity measures to prevent FMD from crossing the border, which would likely lead to mass culls of infected animals and cause major disruption to the meat and livestock trade.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) estimates an outbreak could cost the country $80 billion over 10 years.

Mr Laurie said with FMD front of mind for many, he was not sure what kind of demand to expect at the sale.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the market at the moment, in both the physical market and from these overseas issues, so we were just thinking that might take the edge off it,” he said.

“But the interest we had that came from a lot further afield than what we’ve ever had before — that probably waylaid those fears.”

A group of smiling people wearing hats pose near a large bull.
The Knowla livestock team’s previous record price for a bull was $40,000.(Supplied: James Laurie)

Prices up to 20 per cent

Auction Plus chief economist Tim McRae said the market had experienced a huge jump in prices for bulls compared with last year.

“For July we saw bull prices average 20 per cent above the same time last year — and prices were pretty high last year,” he said.

“But also the clearance rates [were high]so the number of bulls that have been getting sold per auction was well in the 90 per cent area.”

Mr McRae said the conditions over the last two years and rising cattle prices were behind the results.

“The very good seasonal conditions are enabling producers to make long-term decisions,” he said.

“There’s still pretty good confidence [in the industry]barring some of the recent downturns in the commercial market.

“The outlook for the beef industry is still very good and commercial producers are very keen to make sure the genetics they have help them optimize that in years to come.”

A large group of people milling around in a cattle sale yard.
Industry experts and sellers say people have confidence in the future of the beef industry.(Supplied: James Laurie)

Struan Pearce of Stud Stock Sales agreed that concerns about FMD had not impacted sales.

“People are certainly aware of it,” he said.

“But I suppose they can’t just give up on it and concede defeat, so they’ve just got to keep moving forward, purchasing their bulls and new genetics and keep producing the steers that they’re earning their money from.”

Mr Pearce said prices were strong across the country.

“Geographically there’s been some terrific sales up in Queensland, right through NSW into Victoria and South Australia,” he said.

Three men and three women, all smiling and wearing hats.
The Texas Angus crew saw the average price for their bulls rise by $7,000 on last year’s sale.(Supplied: Texas Angus)

record smashed

Recently at Warialda, NSW, a new record was set for the highest grossing single-vendor sale of sheep or cattle in Australia when Texas Angus stud earned a remarkable $5.8 million for its bull and heifer sale.

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Categories
Australia

Cattle arrive for the Ekka as organizers ramp up biosecurity measures against foot-and-mouth disease

A boy wearing a cowboy hat stands next to a cow

While fears of foot-and-mouth disease loom over the Ekka, organizers and breeders say “very comprehensive” plans are in place to limit risk.

Cattle began arriving yesterday for the stud beef competition, the largest annual showing of stud beef in the southern hemisphere.

Around 1,300 head of cattle are expected to attend the show, which runs from August 6 to 14.

Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA) chief executive Brendan Christou said organizers were working closely with authorities.

A man holding the reins of a cow at the Ekka
The threat of FMD has not stopped many from bringing cattle to the show.(ABC News: Elizabeth Cramsie )

“Biosecurity Queensland will be here, onsite, throughout the show and we have our own vet committee that looks at all of those things as well,” he said.

Mr Christou said there were a range of measures being taken, including ensuring animals were healthy before their arrival, separation of breeds and use of foot baths.

“It is very comprehensive,” he said.

‘Very minimal risk’

However, for all the precautions, some breeders are still unwilling to take the risk.

Breeder Bronwyn Betts will be missing her first Ekka in more than a decade

“We were just concerned about the risk of foot-and-mouth disease, notwithstanding that that risk is low. The potential consequences can be quite dire,” she said.

Bronwyn Betts patting a cow.
Bronwyn Betts is sitting out the Ekka this year.(ABC news: Elizabeth Pickering)

Ms Betts said the Ekka and shows like it brought greater risk than other sales meet-ups because of the large presence of the public.

“Just in terms of the demographics of people [who] are there. At a sale, you’re largely going to get cattle people that are going to be coming in from cattle properties. They’ll be cognisant of foot-and-mouth [risk] and they will have taken measures,” she said.

“But that’s different from a show where there’s larger numbers of [the] public [who] are entering into an area, and they may well include some people [who] have recently returned from the popular holiday destination of Bali.

“I think there needs to be a lot more public education about what foot-and-mouth disease is, how it enters our country but, also, once it does, how it moves around, because the reality is that people play a big role in that.”

At the Ekka, cattle breeder Jason Childs said he felt enough precautions were being taken.

“Foot and mouth has been around the world for a long time and it hasn’t managed to get into Australia yet and it’s not in Australia yet,” he said.

“I think the risk here is very, very minimal.”

What is foot-and-mouth disease?

Foot and mouth (FMD) affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, pigs, goats and deer.

It causes fever and painful blisters on the animals’ tongues and hooves, which can make animals lick.

While Australia has been FMD-free for more than 100 years, the disease was detected in Indonesia in May and, by July, it had spread to Bali, sparking concerns it could be brought back by tourists.

It is not dangerous to humans, but people can facilitate the spread through products containing fragments of the disease or through dirty clothes and footwear.

A foot and mouth disease blister on the tongue of an animal with FMD.
FMD causes blisters on the tongues of infected animals.(Supplied: Agriculture Victoria)

FMD also spreads through close contact between animals and can be carried short distances by wind.

An outbreak in Australia would likely lead to mass culls of infected animals. It would also rob the country of its status as being free of FMD, causing major disruption to the meat and livestock trade.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) estimates an outbreak could cost the country $80 billion over 10 years.

A person in black leather shoes walks over a wet black mat.
People arriving on flights from Indonesia are asked to walk on citric acid mats to kill the FMD virus.(Supplied: Perth Airport)

After Indonesia’s outbreak spread to Bali, the federal government introduced extra measures at airports to stop it spreading to Australia.

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