WESTERN Australia's live cattle trade has continued a strong run with more than 213,000 head exported to Indonesia, Vietnam, Israel, China and other markets this year from the State - about a quarter of the national export figures.
Broome was the standout port this year with Fremantle close behind.
Port Hedland recorded one shipment of 2581 feeder cattle to Indonesia in August - though Port Hedland Export Depot manager Paul Brown said the depot had been utilised a lot more in 2020 as a feedlot for pastoralists.
Mr Brown said he was working to link exporters with pastoralists to ensure that the cattle were prepared and ready for export consignments when they were needed, which would benefit everyone in the supply chain.
The depot would continue to be available for either exporters or lotfeeding into the future as a way to assist the Pilbara industry.
Recently the Wyndham Port dismantled and sold off its cattle yards, which means any cattle exported from the port in the future would need to be taken directly from the station to the vessel for loading.
Export numbers from the north were expected to drop off significantly for the next few weeks after the northern live export season wound up with pastoralists preparing for the wet season which is due to begin with a storm front in the Kimberley this week.
The live cattle trade has been given a six-month reprieve from changes that would have hit exporters in the hip pocket and seen a reduction of about 130,000 head shipped to South East Asia a year.
Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud last month stepped in at the last minute to allow cattle exporters to continue to operate under existing stocking density requirements, which would have changed on November 1 under the new Australian Standard for the Export of Livestock 3.0.
Industry estimates had put the cost of the reduced stocking densities at $50 a head, or $40 million, to cattle supply chains in northern Australia.
The industry fought hard against the changes knowing the impact it would have on the livelihoods of northern cattle producers, many of whom are still recovering from the 2011 trade ban.
In 2019 1.3 million cattle were exported live - worth $1.7 billion to the national economy.
Indonesia took 52 per cent of them at 679,538 head.
It is expected that about 1m head would be exported this year.