Being located in Tasmania doesn’t necessarily mean significantly higher freight costs for mainland buyers.
Cattle purchased from Stellar Speckle Park and transported to mainland Australia may be eligible for assistance under the Australian Government’s Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme – Services Australia. The scheme is designed to reduce the freight disadvantage associated with transporting eligible goods, including livestock, across Bass Strait.
Importantly, either the Tasmanian producer or the purchaser may be eligible to claim where they incur and pay the eligible Bass Strait freight costs and meet the scheme requirements.
For eligible northbound freight, assistance is calculated according to factors including freight costs and the size, weight and method of transport of the consignment. The rebate is therefore specific to each shipment rather than a fixed amount per bull.
There are experienced livestock carriers regularly moving cattle between Tasmania and mainland Australia. These include Hodges Livestock Transport and Pages Transport, both of whom regularly transport livestock to and from Tasmania and can assist with coordinating the Bass Strait and mainland components of the journey.
At Stellar Speckle Park, we are also happy to work with purchasers and their preferred livestock carrier to help coordinate transport and provide the documentation required for the freight rebate process.
For mainland buyers, the important message is: don’t judge the cost of purchasing a Tasmanian bull on the initial freight quote alone. The TFES rebate can substantially reduce the effective cost of getting cattle across Bass Strait.
Don’t let Bass Strait be a barrier to accessing the genetics you want.
Full eligibility, current rebate rates and claim requirements should be confirmed through the Australian Government’s Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme before arranging transport.
