When the Indonesian government officially permitted the importation of Indian buffalo beef on the 8th of June 2016, it triggered events that will result in a tectonic shift in the Indonesia beef industry with significant but less dramatic impacts in Australia. If the importation of Indian beef had been approved about 3 or 4 years…
The world is short of beef cattle while very few countries have “spare” land to substantially expand their breeding herds. Brazil is about the only country with the resources to grow 10’s of millions of additional breeders. But that will take a decade or more. Meanwhile global demand continues to rise with China leading the…
Fact: In response to public complaints about rising beef prices during 2014, the Indonesian government drastically reduced import permits for beef and live cattle. Fact: As a result of reduced inventories and the prospects of even less supply, importers slowed the rate of daily sales into the slaughter market to ensure that they would not…
“Nineteen Eighty Four” is a novel written by George Orwell in 1949. The story describes a mythical future society run by a privileged Inner Party and headed up by a tyrannical leader called “Big Brother”. The society elite used their power, including omnipresent government surveillance for their own selfish purposes leading to rebellion from those…
In 1989, 18-year-old Nyoman Budiasa left high school in rural Lampung (South Sumatera) and began his working life as a yard boy at the local general store for Rp. 1,500 for a 17 hour day. In those pre-financial crash days that amount was worth about AUD 70 cents per day. Today, Nyoman is an exceptionally…
Last year I wrote a story about a skinny boy called Bambang, who was (and still is) an exceptional Animal Welfare Officer (AWO) in South Sumatera, Indonesia. Ucok is an AWO in North Sumatera and while he is every bit as effective as Bambang, the two could hardly be more different. 32 year old Ucok…
In 1993, John Gray, an American relationship counselor and author wrote his best selling book entitled “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”. Gray claimed that the most common relationship problems between men and women are a result of fundamental psychological differences between the genders leading him to suggest that men and women are…
A big thank you to my Sponsors for their ongoing support. To learn more about them, simply click on their logo on the right hand side of the page to access their website. When I travelled back to Australia in early May I stopped in Bali to visit my friend David Heath. On Sunday morning…
16th Edition : March 2015. Key Points Q2 permits for Indo might just be in time for Ramadan & Lebaran Prices ease in Vietnam following a flush of imported cattle Thai prices back off slightly following the first Aussie imports China puts the squeeze on illegal box beef imports Indonesia : Slaughter Steers AUD $3.85…
15th Edition : February 2015. Key Points Prices begin to climb in Indonesia. Two shipments delivered to Thailand and 3rd on the water Vietnamese prices steady despite large inflows via Cambodia Inquiries from prospective Chinese importers mounting Indonesia : Slaughter Steers AUD $3.80 / kg live weight Live cattle prices are climbing as supplies…
