China has literally got WA’s goat. Perth genetic technology company Australia-China Development and Trading is exporting frozen Boer goat embryos to the PRC as part of a joint venture to raise the quality of Chinese livestock.
Surrogate nannies have done their job, and several thousand genetically improved Sino-Aussie goats are already running around in suburban Beijing of all places.
The project is part of China’s “Go West” program to help develop the rural economies of its northern and western provinces.
The Boer goat, famed for high growth rates, good meat and a placid temperament, will help alleviate a shortage of high quality goat meat in China.
Raising livestock accounts for more than 30 per cent of the agricultural sector in China. But low technology and inefficient management has seen it slip behind international standards for meat, hampering export sales.
That is where Australia-China Development comes in.
Tim Johnson, who runs the operation from here and has a partner in Beijing, hopes the success of the venture will open up opportunities in other overseas markets.
