Wellard Groups Holdings managing director Mauro Balzarini has been named by Federal Trade and Investment minister Andrew Robb as one of 20 members of Trade and Investment Policy Industry Advisory Council.

Mr Robb said the TIPAC will provide an important source of advice on the challenges and opportunities involved in advancing the Abbott Government’s trade and investment agenda.

“This group brings considerable horsepower to the table as well as a unique and high quality commercial perspective to the task of advancing trade and investment,” he said.

“TIPAC members are all highly respected in their fields and offer insight and expertise across all of the areas of Australia’s key strengths. As a government we are determined to leverage these strengths to help drive sustainable growth.”

Among those key sectors represented are resources and energy, food and agribusiness, banking and finance, international education and tourism.

Expertise on trade and investment with North Asia will come from Yasushi Takahashi, Chairman and Managing Director of Mitsui (Australia) Limited; Mark Chiba, Group Chairman of the Longreach Group; Alex Harvey, CEO of Macquarie Bank’s operations in Asia; and Robin Chambers AO, who has unsurpassed experience in China.

In food and agribusiness, Mr Robb has secured the involvement of Mr Balzarini, Philippa Purser (Managing Director of Cargill Australia); Alison Watkins (Group Managing Director of Coca-Cola Amatil); Joy Linton (Non-Executive Director of Bega Cheese), while David Knox (CEO of Santos) and Roy Krzywosinski (Managing Director of Chevron Australia) will advise on resources exports.

Peter O’Brien (Parkhorn Tourism and Leisure); Rowan Craigie (CEO of Crown Limited); and Graham Burke, the strategic force behind Village Roadshow, will advise on entertainment and tourism. In international education, Mr Robb has appointed Professor Sandra Harding from the university sector and Claire Field from the vocational education sector.

Mehrdad Baghai, an international expert on new technology and global business, will provide high-level strategic advice. Paul Espie (founder of Pacific Road Capital Management) and Ashok Jacob (Chairman of Ellerston Capital) will contribute on investment issues. Mr Robb has also appointed Colette Garnsey from The Just Group and Jason Yeap OAM, Chairman of Mering Corporation, “for their creative and entrepreneurial flair”.

TIPAC will meet for the first time on Friday 6 June 2014 at Parliament House in Canberra.

Wellard sees strong prospects for exports to China

The Balzarini family founded Wellard Rural Exports in 1979 and remains the controlling shareholder.

Mr Balzarini has spoken out in the past week about the strong prospects Wellard Rural Exports sees for cattle and sheep exports to China in coming years.

Wellard currently has more than 25,000 dairy and beef breeding cattle booked for supply to China from Australia and New Zealand before end of the year, and is also developing assets in China and in Australia with the expectation that feeder and slaughter cattle exports to China will commence in the short term, Mr Balzarini said on Friday.

“Wellard is very well positioned to take advantage of growing demand for beef, sheepmeat, beef cattle, dairy cattle and sheep genetics in China,” he said.

Wellard has expanded its exports into China to include commercial consignments of high quality Dorper breeding stock and accreditation of its abattoir, Beaufort River Meats (BRM), to export to China.

Building on the company’s significant presence in China as an exporter of high performance dairy heifers from Australia and New Zealand, Wellard has just completed the airfreight of more than 1200 Dorper rams and ewes and has shipped its first container of mutton to China.

The sheep were sourced from Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia for a client in Inner Mongolia.

A 100 percent success rate was achieved on the 12 hour Singapore Airlines flight from Perth to Hohhot, Inner Mongolia (including refuelling stopover).

The sheep are currently undertaking a 45 day quarantine period in China before moving onto their new host property to form the nucleus of a breeding flock. They were quarantined in Australia for 30 days prior to departure.

Wellard General Manager Harold Sealy said the sheep were purchased by large, privately owned farming organisation which supports many of the smaller farmers in the state of Inner Mongolia.

“Wellard expects to develop this market further as there is appears to be strong demand for high quality sheep genetics from China, and Australia is perfectly placed to supply those genetics,” Mr Sealy said.

Wellard Managing Director Mauro Balzarini said the Dorper sheep exports and BRM China accreditation expanded Wellard’s supply portfolio of protein and genetics to China.