By Claude Wilson, Gleaner WriterPROHIBITIVE TRANSIT costs and United States regulations have stalled the sale of Jamaican cattle to New Zealand and Australia, a business deal that could give a well needed boost to the slowly rebounding beef industry.
As an alternative, the Austra-lians are considering embryo transfer or the purchase of semen for artificial insemination. But they also continue to lobby to have the problem addressed, The Gleaner was told.
"The plan was to get (the cattle) from here through the United States and then ship the live animals to Australia," said Dr. Karl Wellington, animal geneticist and chairman of the Cattle Breeders Society.
"But, exploring the possibility, they found that taking the animals through America is not going to work as the costs are prohibitive."
The deal is worth millions of dollars, said Dr. Wellington.
EXPLORATORY MISSION
In September, five cattlemen, four Australians and one New Zealander, representing Super Gene Livestock Evaluation System, a company marketing cattle internationally, came to the island on an exploratory mission to source and buy Jamaican cattle.
Members of the delegation, headed by Peter Chilcott, were seeking to establish ongoing trade in the stock of beef cattle that they saw on a visit to the island 12 years ago.
"They were very impressed when they came here in 1991 to the World Red Poll Conference. They concluded that the Jamaica Red Poll was a unique breed of cattle and that they would be of great help particularly to the breeders in Queensland," Dr. Wellington said.
"If they could get quality animals from the Jamaican stock they would use them to improve similar breeds in Australia. For that reason they are interested in purchasing Red Brahman and Jamaica Red Poll cattle."
There is currently a shortage of the Red Brahman cattle in Australia.
Dr. Wellington concedes that animal numbers are also down locally and animal quality has fallen due primarily to intervening years of severe difficulties encountered in the beef industry.
Prior to their arrival in the island, Chilcott and his team were locked in negotiations with American authorities to transport the animals through that country en route 'Down Under' as Australia is often referred to, but are finding both the US regulations and the transiting cost difficult to get around.
According to Dr. Wellington, the matter of an alternative route is yet to be resolved as North America provides the best transport route for getting the animals to Australia.
