From the President
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is a privilege to present my second report to you today as President of the NT Cattlemen’s Association at this, the 2011 conference; and, on such an auspicious day, the 1st of April. In fact, I could think of no better title for it than “Sullivans April Fools Day Address”.
I believe our industry can look forward with some confidence. Seasonal conditions are excellent throughout; demand for our product is strong and emerging markets such as Turkey and Russia have added strength to continuing demand from our existing customers such as Indonesia, domestic and export processors. The Australian Agricultural Company’s planned northern abattoir holds out the prospect of Top End cattle once again being processed locally, and the launch of the NT Government Agribusiness Strategy by the Chief Minister indicates a renewed commitment to development of the primary industry sector in the territory.
This is not to suggest that it’s all blue skies and sunshine! We face a challenging situation on a number of fronts. Our margins are being squeezed relentlessly by rising costs. We face high exchange rates, new taxes, an uncertain regulatory environment, pressure from animal rights groups, more restrictive legislation, extreme fire conditions and more. We need to remember, and to remind the community, that we create jobs, generate local economic activity and export income. This year marks 100 years since the Northern Territory was cut off from South Australia and this industry has been there all the way.
Please download the full report here...
Rohan Sullivan
President
March 2011
