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There's still a lot of work to be done, but the
establishment of a live cattle trade to Cambodia edged a little closer
this week.
Delegates from the Northern Territory Government met
with Cambodia's Minister for Agriculture, Dr Ouk Rabun, in what was the
first government-to-government meeting since health protocols for the trade were finalised a few months ago.Dr Rabun told delegates that Australian beef was 'well regarded' and 'very famous', and there was growing demand for the product, especially amongst the hotels and restaurants of Phnom Penh.
He said Cambodia was also interested in importing breeder cattle to improve the genetics of the national herd and was eager to have Australians regularly visiting to offer 'technical advice' to Cambodian cattle producers and importers.
Speaking to ABC Rural in Phnom Penh, the NT's Minister for Primary Industry, Willem Westra van Holthe, said it was 'early days', but he was hopeful of seeing a trial shipment to Cambodia next year.
"What is quite apparent from today's meeting is that there will be demand for Australian cattle and that's because the tourism industry here is so strong and there's a demand in high-level restaurants for Australian beef," he said.
"Even though we didn't put any timeframes on it [for a first shipment], we have agreed to work collaboratively to get this trade up and running as quickly as we possibly can.
"So today I've offered technical assistance to the Cambodian Government to help their importers provide the right environment for Australian cattle, and together we'll be able to work on getting a trade up and running."
ABC Rural has been told there's already one cattle enterprise in Cambodia which has signalled intent to import Australian livestock.
Setting up a supply chain and making sure the requirements of ESCAS can be met is the major next step before trade can begin.
ABC Rural's Matt Brann travelled through Cambodia courtesy of the Northern Territory Government.
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