Australian semen and embryos will soon be exported to China for the first time in more than four years in a major coup for the local industry.
Genetics Australia (GA), including subsidiary Total Livestock Genetics (TLG), has been granted official re-accreditation to export both bovine semen and embryos to China, re-opening a potentially huge market for Australian genetics.
The re-accreditation follows an onsite audit earlier this year of the TLG export facilities at Camperdown by the General Administration of Customs China (GACC).
The timing is opportune with China and the United States recently ending their trading agreements. Genetics Australia will work with its global trading partners to try to fill the void.
A start date for the resumption of exports is yet to be confirmed as health protocols to qualify genetic material have not been finalised.
It is expected that most exports will initially be beef genetics.
The previous accreditation ended in 2021 during the COVID pandemic. Prior to this, China was Genetics Australia’s biggest export market.
TLG operations manager Camperdown and Glenormiston, Ruth Barber, said it was exciting news but clients need to be patient.
“We can’t say that we’re trading tomorrow but as soon as the health protocols are finalised, which should be very soon, we will have a clearer picture of when we can resume.”
Ms Barber said re-accreditation was significant because of the four-year hiatus and the cessation of trading between China and USA over the past month.
“Our global partners are now looking at Australia to fill the void because they can no longer trade with China,” she said. “We have been getting phone calls every day. It’s potentially huge we are well positioned at our Camperdown and Glenormiston centres to ramp up our semen collection and embryo production.”
Genetics Australia’s most recent genetics export package to China in 2021 was more than 100,000 straws.
GA export manager Rob Derksen said it was too early to predict quantities, but China ending the significant trade with USA should create big opportunities.
“We see most promise and most interest initially in beef but there should also be opportunities for dairy,” Mr Derksen said. “While demand in China for imported dairy semen has dropped over recent years, there is a growing appetite for beef. Our role and partnerships as part of the URUS group will help to provide a vehicle to get high quality genetics into China.”
The trade could include exports to China by private breeders who place bulls with Genetics Australia, exports of GA owned semen, the supply of genetics through the URUS group into China, the placement of bulls at GA for collection by international companies and customers using its collection and export service.
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