THE time is right for Australia and Indonesia to forge new partnerships at both government and industry levels, according to Meat and Livestock Australia's regional manager for Indonesia, Dr John Ackerman.
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Fresh off a flight from Jakarta to address a regional beef industry forum in Mt Isa this week, Dr Ackerman said relations historically between the two countries had been a trading one, but the Indonesian president had said that he was looking for a shift in the arrangement.
"One area that hasn't been overly focused upon is skills and technology transfers and addressing investment aspects surrounding the cattle trade," Dr Ackerman said.
"Indonesia has been trying to pick up their productivity while Australia has been focusing on the regulatory framework, and the two haven't come together.
"Now the economics and politics of our two countries have brought us into line, to sit down and start to talk.
"Our complementarities are breeding and feeding - each does one well. We have to think how we can provide further support to their feedlot sector.
"I think there's a lot more we can do."
Dr Ackerman's assessment comes on the back of calls by livestock exporters to refine the exporter supply chain assurance system (ESCAS) to open up new markets for struggling northern producers and boost prices for their product.
The regulatory burden and increased costs were frightening off potential new customers, according to Bernie Brosnan, the CEO of the Northern Territory Livestock Export Association (NTLEA).
This followed comments from Shadow Agriculture and Food Security Minister John Cobb that the Coalition was looking at ways of making ESCAS more user-friendly if it won government.
This would include fewer audits and self-auditing processes.
Mr Cobb described the auditing process as laborious.
"We will retain the animal welfare side but lift the cost burden and the time factors," he said.
"When you've got compliance staring you in the face every time you turn around, it's costly."
Mr Brosnan described the current regulations as the major impediment to establishing new markets.
"For instance, DAFF is moving to MOUs (memorandum of understanding) for all new importing countries, which are laborious and time-wasting," Mr Brosnan said.
"There is significant interest from Thailand and we could normally have something up and running by the end of the year, but if there's an MOU it could take 18 months to two years."
The danger the NTLEA saw in this was that it closed a window of opportunity to countries, who would chase other sources with greater ease of access.
Mr Brosnan said it was thanks to Australia's long-standing relationship with Indonesia that meant ESCAS could get up and running there in a short space of time, but totally new countries found it hard to comprehend why it was needed.
"We are not saying we want ESCAS repealed," he said. "We need to move in a timely manner but still give assurances to the general public. It's a fine line."
As well as giving Australian product good standing in the international community, domestic animals in countries overseas were reaping the benefits of improved welfare assurances.
The system requires an extra person for traceability purposes, plus administration support, at each end of each supply chain established, and has to report to the Department of Agriculture.
Mr Brosnan said it was hard to put a cost per head on that, but that establishing a supply chain cost between $50,000 and $100,000 in ESCAS requirements, with no guarantee of keeping that market to themselves once established.
"ESCAS needs to be refined. We had mach 1, now we need mach 2," he said.
