It has been a year of challenges for Indonesia’s feedlot industry.

Since last year’s live export ban by Australia, Indonesian importers and lot feeders have had to deal with the strict implementation and additional cost of the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance Scheme (ESCAS), significant cutbacks in cattle import permits by Indonesia, the threat of a 5pc import duty on feeder cattle, and now a shortage of available cattle for the market from Australia due to the 350kg weight restrictions.

For one of Indonesia’s largest cattle importers, the Santori/Austasia group, the cost of implementing ESCAS has exceeded $800,000.

However, the vertically integrated importing, breeding, feeding, processing and retailing company is not complaining.

Instead it is planning a celebration.

Proud of what it has achieved under ESCAS, the company recently made the decision to invite the owner of the 50,000th head of cattle imported since the animal welfare assurance system was introduced to personally visit its diverse Indonesian supply chain.

The trip includes inspections of the company’s world-class feedlots, traceability systems, approved meat processing affiliates, and a visit to the wet market to meet end users and purchasers of Australian beef.

It was then simply a case of using the company's triple back up traceability system to identify when the 50,000th animal arrived.

Santori’s Management Information System (MIS) identified that the milestone was achieved on May 1, 2012, when a 341kg Brahman cross steer from Australian Agricultural Company’s Brunette Downs arrived aboard Wellard Rural Export’s MV Ocean Drover at the port of Panjang near Lampung on the island of Sumatra.

The steer is on a 120-day feeding program at Santori’s Bekri feedlot and will be processed in the second week of September 2012.

Santori head of commercial beef feedlots, Guntur Pribadi, told Beef Central this week that a representative of AA Co will be invited to follow the animal’s movement through the supply chain in September.

He said that since ESCAS had been established, Santori had now imported more than 60,000 cattle to its supply chain, and wanted to use the 50,000 head milestone to show that the system was working.

“Santori is proud of the work they have done to comply with Australia’s wishes and feel that livestock number 50,000 is a chance to both showcase and celebrate a job well done by all breeders, shippers, feeders, and processors,”  he said.

While the final week of Ramadhan is a time of religious celebration in Indonesia, Mr Pribadi said Santori / Austasia's senior management was on "high alert" instead of being on holiday.

"All the standard operating procedures in place will come under duress during these next few days due to the higher throughput," he said yesterday. 

"It is for this reason, all the senior managers are out there to give support to the animal welfare officers and the abattoir operators to uphold the standard."

Santori has provided the following details from its Management Information System on the 50,000th animal imported since ESCAS was implemented:

Report date : August 12, 2012
1 LNC number  : # 4915
2 Date Approval by DAFF : April 16, 2012
3 Exported on : April 19, 2012
4 Exporter by : Wellard Rural Exports Pty. Ltd.
5 Name of Ship : MC Ocean Drover – V116
6 Loading port  : Darwin
7 Health Certificate   # NT 4321
8 Discharge Port : Panjang, Lampung – Indonesia
9 Arrival Date : May 1, 2012
10 Stevedores : PT Citra Karsa Mahesa
11 Trucking Operator : PT Skarshindo Sejahtera Harapan
12 Importer : PT Santosa Agrindo
13 Feedlot Destination : Bekri Feedlot, Desa Bumiaji-Kec. Anak Tuha,
   Kab. Lampung Tengah, Lampung-Indonesia 34177
14 No of Livestock Received (heads) : 1,846
15 Induction Date : May 10, 2012
16 No of Livestock Inducted (heads) : 1,846
17 RFID Replacements  : 16 (0.86% from total shipment)
18 180 Day Due Date  : October 16, 2012
DETAIL OF # 50,000 :
19 No. R.F.I.D.     : 98200018409XXXX
20 No. Ear tag : 33910XXXX
21 N.L.I.S. : TKBT0115XBG89699
22 Sex : Steer
23 Breed      : Brahman Cross
24 POO         : BRUNETTE DOWNS
25 Weight Induction (kgs) : 341
26 Dentition : 0
27 Frame Score : 4
28 Fat Score : 2
29 Schedule to turn off : 2nd week of September 2012
30 Entities & Facilities in accordance 'w ESCAS : 13 Affiliate Abattoirs – Approved by DAFF – t.b.a.
  
31 Turn off Feedlot Date  : ………………………….
32 Exit Weight (kgs) : ………………………….
33 Delivery Order Number : ………………………….
34 Trucking Operator : ………………………….
35 Affiliate Abattoir Destination – ESCAS : ………………………….
36 No. R.F.I.D.     : ………………………….
37 No. Ear tag : ………………………….
38 N.L.I.S. : ………………………….
39 Received at Affiliate Abattoir Date, Time : ………………………….
40 Kill Date, Time : ………………………….
41 Day (Feedlot – Affiliate Abattoir) : ………………………….
42 Day (Received – Kill) : ………………………….
43 Carcass Yield (Wet market specification) : ………………………….