Livestock industry investigates importing feed grain but farmers sound biosecurity warning
/ By Emma FieldNew research suggests, that because of Australia's drying climatic conditions, the agriculture industry should prepare to import large shipments of feed grain for livestock, despite the biosecurity risks.
Key points:
- The recent drought meant intensive livestock industries struggled to get enough grain to feed animals
- Meat and Livestock Australia and the Australian Lot Feeders Association commissioned a report into importing feed bulk grain, which found the biosecurity risks could be managed
Australian grain farmers say they grow enough grain to meet the growing demands and importing grain could threaten the whole agriculture industry
The review was commissioned by Meat and Livestock Australia and the Australian Lot Feeders Association (ALFA) along with most of the intensive livestock sector including the dairy, chicken and egg sectors.
But bringing in low quality, low-priced grain has been heavily resisted by the Australian grain farmers.
Livestock industries have suffered from dwindling supply of feed grain and high prices after years of drought on Australia's east coast.
Import triggers strict biosecurity protocols
The report was released about a year after grain was allowed to be imported into Australia for the first time in 12 years.
Last May Manildra Group received permission to import high-quality wheat from Canada for its New South Wales mills.
But it came with strict biosecurity protocols to minimise the likelihood of an outbreak of a pest or disease from the foreign grain.
Soybean meal, which is a treated feed product, has regularly been imported into Australia.
In 2017-18 769,000 tonnes of soymeal were brought into Australia for the livestock sector.
But importing feed grain into Australia is extremely rare. The last time it happened was in 2006–07 when about 93 tonnes of canola, soybeans and sunflower seeds were brought in.
After the millennium drought in the early 2000s about 430,000 tonnes of feed wheat, corn, millet and soybeans was imported.
'Plan B' needed
But head of ALFA Christian Mulders said increasing climate variability in Australia, and the likelihood of smaller gain crops during drought, meant they needed a "Plan B" for grain and fodder security.
"We need to have technologies, systems and protocols tested and in place, ready to be implemented to keep our livestock industries in business," Mr Mulder said.
"That's why we're exploring options and technologies to facilitate the safe importation of grain while ensuring Australia's biosecurity reputation is protected."
The report found the number of cattle being fed grain had tripled in Australia over the past three decades, mainly to meet the strict requirements of supermarkets and also to satisfy growing Asian demand for protein.
This happened while the consumption of chicken meat in Australia had also increased dramatically.
As a result, livestock industries about need 8.5 to 9 million tonnes of feed grain every year.
Mercardo Livestock analyst Matt Daglish said when grain supplies plummeted in last year's drought, pig farmers particularly were hit hard.
"We had low pork prices and then the high grain prices, so they were squeezed at both ends," he said.
"For those intensive industries feed grain prices is a significant cost."
Processing plant to sterilise grain proposed
Report author Paul Meibusch, from consultant company Colere Group, said with the projected increase of grain-fed livestock, particularly cattle, demand could more regularly outstrip supply.
The report concluded to minimise the biosecurity risks of bulk grain imports for stock feed, a process of sterilising the grain would be needed to make sure it was free of pests, pathogens and weed seeds.
Two options recommended for treating imported feed grain were an irradiation-based heat treatment, or the use of the fumigant Ethanedinitrile.
The investigation into the viability of feed grain imports also raised the possibility of a plant being built within a port quarantine zone, to process up 10,000 tonnes of grain a day.
Mr Meibusch said just processing imported feed grain in times of drought might not be economically feasible, so the same plant could also process soybeans or wheat from interstate such as Western Australia.
"We import about 750,000 tonnes of soybean meal a year … so instead of bringing in soy meal, we could bring in soybeans and process it here," he said.
Grain farmers say importing is too risky, and not needed
Chief executive of peak farmer group Grain Growers Limited David McKeon rejected the assumption Australian farmers did not produce enough grain to meet domestic demand.
"We have a large exportable (grain) surplus in Australia … and a fair amount of that goes into feed grains," he said.
He said Australia's whole agriculture sector could suffer if the imports allowed potentially catastrophic foreign pests or disease.
"On absolutely on no basis should we be compromising our biosecurity system, for the short-term needs of a few businesses," Mr McKeon said.
However he admits, at times of drought there have been regional grain shortages because most feed lots are on the east coast, while Western Australia is the largest grain producing state.
But he said grain growers and livestock producers should work together to lobby governments for better transport systems and grain market transparency to lowers costs across the entire sector.
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