Feed imports set to rise

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Customs authorities are planning to issue permits for imports of distillers maize from the US, and tapioca from south-east Asia, to be used as feed for livestock.

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service says it can't disclose how many applications have been received, or the volumes requested, but permits will be handed out within weeks.

John MacQueen from the Australian Dairy Farmers Federation, says imports are a last resort, but farmers need certainty in the face of ongoing drought.

"There is a need for us to be planning for every possible contingency at this point in time," he says.

"Tapioca is exported from Thailand to many parts of the world, as an animal feedstuff, and I would think that the possibilities of AQIS to be able to fast-track something with regard to that as an energy source grow with each day that this southern Australian climatic condition of dryness continues."

Sourced from ABC.