Barnaby Joyce has described Indonesia's decision to cut drastically live cattle permits as "disappointing", but says it is his responsibility as Agriculture Minister to find an alternative market for any spare livestock.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Indonesia decided late last week to allocate 50,000 permits for live cattle imports for the July to September quarter, which is significantly fewer than the 200,000 expected and the 250,000 for the quarter just gone.
Mr Joyce said in Perth on Tuesday he hoped he could rectify the situation soon.
"Obviously, I would like the opportunity as soon as I can to meet up with the respective ministers responsible in Indonesia," he said.
Mr Joyce said the live cattle trade to Indonesia was "incredibly important" and it was up to him to find alternative markets for the current quarter.
"That's my job as the Agriculture Minister and I'll have to do that," he said.
Northern Territory farmers are now scrambling to find a market for about 150,000 head of cattle.
Northern Territory Cattleman's Association Tracey Hayes said that there were some options but "it's not an overnight scenario".
Victorian Liberal MP Dan Tehan, whose Wannon electorate is a major beef producer, said permits should be given for six or 12 months to allow for better planning.
Other government ministers played down any connection between the surprise permit cut and recent diplomatic tensions between Australia and Indonesia, despite Labor suggesting there was a link.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she had been assured the permit cuts were a trade issue.
"It's not in relation to the overall Australia-Indonesia relationship, which is very strong and very good as I've said on a number of occasions," she said.
Treasurer Joe Hockey agreed, noting that there had been "volatility" in the past on cattle exports.
But Labor leader Bill Shorten said he was "most concerned" about what was happening to cattle exports.
When pressed about the reasons behind the dramatic cut in permits, he said: "I sincerely hope that our relationship with Indonesia at the political level is not driving this reduction."
The opposition's agriculture spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, argued the relationship was certainly a factor.
"Of course the Abbott government's relationship with Indonesia or the deterioration of it won't be helping at all," he told the ABC.
Labor also pointed to Mr Joyce's split with the cabinet over the government's approval of a Shenhua coal mine in his electorate.
"The situation in Indonesia is a shocking development but should not have been entirely unexpected if Minister Joyce was across his brief and not distracted by his internal wars with cabinet," Mr Fitzgibbon said in a statement.
Australian Livestock Exporters' Council chief executive Alison Penfold said the development was disappointing but also played down any diplomatic link. She told ABC 24 that trade and national food security issues were at play.
The cattle permit change comes just weeks after former Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa said relations between Australia and Indonesia appeared to be at their lowest point.
Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson, has only recently resumed his post in Jakarta. He was briefly recalled after Bali nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed.
Relations between Indonesia and Australia have also been tested over the past 18 months by allegations that Australian spies tapped former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's phone during Labor's time in office, as well as the Abbott government's asylum seeker boat policy.
The former Labor government faced a diplomatic storm when it banned live cattle exports to Indonesia in 2011.
It suddenly stopped exports after footage emerged of animal cruelty in Indonesia, sparking outrage from both the Australian cattle industry and Indonesia.
With Jared Lynch
