LIVE cattle exporters are waiting anxiously on the outcome of Indonesia’s presidential elections this week to see whether beef import quotas will be impacted.
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Reports say both presidential candidates — Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto — have promised to reduce the country’s reliance on Australian cattle imports if elected.
Their statements reflect a strong position on beef and food self-sufficiency underscored by nationalistic sentiment, which is considered a vote-winning strategy in Indonesia, not unlike Australia.
The Indonesian presidential poll is due to start tomorrow but the outcome for beef cattle imports is not expected to be known for weeks, with ministry appointments to be settled after vote counting is completed.
The threat to Australian cattle exports was raised during a weekend debate between the two presidential candidates, which focused largely on food self-sufficiency.
Mr Prabowo – a former military commander – said he wanted “the cattle to be born in Indonesia” and insisted his country had “ample cattle” to feed its growing population and demand for protein.
He said it was only a matter of improving slaughterhouses and distribution networks and encouraging a “change in mindset” away from “neoliberalism” to “a more collective orientation”.
Mr Joko — Governor of Jakarta — said beef cattle imports could end in five or six years when Indonesia could be self-sufficient.
Australian Livestock Exports Council chief Alison Penfold said her group would wait and see what transpired to understand what impact the election could have on beef import quotas.
“We hope the synergies that exist between Australia and Indonesia – with Australia having a strong breeding business and Indonesia’s expertise in finishing and fattening cattle - will be a model for success for a long time to come,” she said.
“We look forward to working with the new government to further strengthen the cattle trade between the two countries.
“We’ve got a long history of trade between the two countries and there’s the Australia-Indonesia red meat and cattle partnership – so there are plenty of vehicles to deal with any concerns.”
But Ms Penfold said if Indonesia had any concerns with the live cattle trade, ALEC wanted to discuss them first, rather than suspend the trade suddenly like the previous Australian Labor government did in June 2011.
“We would like to know if there are any problems and work together on fixing them,” she said.
The month-long trade suspension resulted from issues with slaughter practices in Indonesian abattoirs exposed by Animals Australia, via ABC TV’s Four Corners.
