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DECEMBER proved the biggest month of 2025 for Australian cattle exports to Indonesia, pushing annual shipments to their highest level since 2019 and capping one of the busiest years on record for the Port of Darwin.
Attention is now turning to 2026 import permits and growing concern in Indonesia over sharply reduced boxed beef quotas.
December shipments of 72,853 head lifted total Australian cattle exports to Indonesia in 2025 to 583,418 head, the highest annual volume since 2019.
It also completed one of the biggest years on record for cattle exports from the port of Darwin with 447,620 cattle exported – not far shy of the 457,720 exported in 1997.
For now the northern cattle export trade is taking a breather after the fast-paced end to 2025, which saw just under 100,000 head exported from the NT port in November and December alone.
Those shipments helped to place cattle on feed in Indonesia for the upcoming Ramadan/Lebaran holy period in Indonesia. Under the Islamic lunar calendar the major annual fasting and feasting festival will occur from mid February to mid March.
2026 permits
Before trade to Indonesia can recommence in 2026, new annual permits must be issued from Jakarta.
Anecdotal reports suggest Indonesian Government representatives have sent letters to importers advising permits will initially be allocated for the import of 600,000 head from Australia, with further volumes potentially available once lot feeders have used a large portion of their individual allocations.
However permits have not yet physically made their way into importers’ hands, with distributions expected within the next few days.
Export activity has continued in Darwin with exporters buying to have cattle ready to ship in the next week or so, amid fear about North Queensland cattle not being available due to flooding around key supply areas such as Cloncurry and Julia Creek, and the cost to pull cattle from Central Queensland.
Pricing
In terms of current pricing, Darwin is understood to be around $4.80 to lock up feeder cattle for January shipping.
One group not happy with Indonesian permit allocations so far in 2026 are Indonesian meat importers.
Boxed meat import quota cuts
Jakarta press reported overnight that Indonesia has slashed the meat import quota for private companies to just 30,000 tonnes this year – a huge decline compared to last year’s quota of 180,000 tonnes.
The reports suggest Indonesia is planning to import a total of 297,000 tonnes of meat throughout 2026, but 250,000 tonnes of that quota is to be imported through state-run, Government-owned enterprises such as Berdikari and Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia.
Of that number the total breakdown is 100,000 tonnes of Indian buffalo meat, 75,000 tonnes of Brazilian beef and another 75,000 tonnes of meat imported from other countries.
In the past two years Australia has exported 84,000 tonnes and 66,500 tonnes of boxed beef to Indonesia.
Indonesian media is reporting that business associations are urging the government to review the quota, with the Indonesian Animal Protein Entrepreneurs Association (APPHI) fearing the limited numbers will deal a blow to the local hotel and restaurant industry.
“The quota is far from enough. … (Hotels and restaurants) have specific meat needs that state-run enterprises cannot necessarily meet, and they play a major role in our economy at a time when other sectors of the real economy are on a decline,” APPHI’s representative Marina Ratna DK recently said, according to a Jakarta Globe article.
The Indonesian Meat Entrepreneurs and Processors Association (APPDI) has warned that the smaller quota will lead to serious disruptions and job losses.
2025 export volumes
Meanwhile latest Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry data show that Australia exported a total of 791,959 cattle in 2025, 10 percent higher than the rolling five year annual average.
That was driven chiefly by higher export activity to Indonesia, which took 583,418 cattle for the year, 38 percent above the five year annual average, and accounting for 73 percent of all Australian cattle exports for the year.
Higher prices for Australian cattle in 2025 have led to a continued reduction in exports to the highly price-sensitive Vietnam market, which was back to 84,837 head for the year, 23 percent below the five year average.
Exports of dairy breeders to China eased to 32,208 head, down 33 percent on the five year average to the market.
Growth markets in 2025 included the Philippines with 26,198 head (35pc above the five year average); Jordan 11,540 (up from 8692 in 2024) Mexico 20,827 head (which last received Australian cattle in 2016) and Turkey 10,141 head (which last received Australian cattle in 2018).
The 10 largest cattle export markets from Australia in 2025 were:
- Indonesia 583,418 head
- Vietnam 84,837 head
- China 32,208 head
- Philippines 26,198 head
- Mexico 20,827 head
- Jordan 11,530
- Turkey 10,141 head
- Malaysia 6,575
- Israel 6,219
- Sarawak 2,466