Dairy in Demand
AUSTRALIA - STRONG demand for Australian dairy cattle will be met by 9000 heifers that were yesterday loaded on the world's largest custom-built livestock transport - the MV Becrux - at Portland.
5 November 2007
1 minute read
| Wellard Rural Exports live cattle manager Justin Morrissey supervises loading of the MV Becrux at Portland yesterday. |
Wellard Rural Exports live cattle manager Justin Morrissey said the shipment of Holstein and Jersey heifers was the first by his company to Mexico from Australia.
WRE is the largest live cattle exporter from Australia and in the next 12 months planned to ship cattle to Saudia Arabia, Kuwait and other Middle Eastern countries.
The heifers for the latest shipment are from throughout Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and southern New South Wales. Mr Morrissey said demand for Australian dairy heifers was strong.
Loading of the MV Becrux started at 7am yesterday and was expected to finish at 8pm before departure at midnight for the 15-day voyage to Mexico.
The MV Becrux has a carrying capacity of 70,000 sheep or 16,000 cattle. Mr Morrissey said cattle feed loaded at Fremantle included 2500 tonnes of pellets and 200 tonnes of chaff.
There was also sawdust for bedding and 2500 metric tonnes of freshwater. A desalination plant could produce a further 600 metric tonnes of water a day.
The ship is manned by a crew of 50 and the cattle would be looked after by four Australian stockmen, an Australian veterinarian and a Mexican counterpart
Source: The Standard
