Australian genetics help Cows for Cambodia sustain rural families

Kari Moffat, AUSTREX and Wallace Gunthorpe, Gunthorpe Cattle Consulting overseeing the arrival of Australian Brahmans at the Cows for Cambodia charity farm.

Kari Moffat is an experienced member of the live cattle export industry, but she’s never seen a reaction on arrival like the one she experienced in Cambodia recently, when AUSTREX delivered six stud Brahmans from Queensland.

The four heifers and two bulls aged 12-18 months, were donated to improve the genetics of local cattle as part of the innovative Cows for Cambodia charity.

“On the day the cattle arrived, the atmosphere was incredible. Once they were settled in their pen local monks came and blessed them, and the Cambodian farm manager said, ‘These are my new children’,” Kari, who is Livestock Sustainability Manager for AUSTREX, said.

“He was so excited to be responsible for their care, and it was clear how important the project is to all involved. To see the difference that Cows from Cambodia is making to small rural families was really inspiring, a life changing experience.”

Cows for Cambodia was instigated by South Australian media personality Andrew ‘Cosi’ Costello to break the poverty cycle in one of the world’s poorest countries, where the average income is around $2/day.

The charity owns a farm outside Siem Reap, where it operates a cow ‘bank’.

Families sign a contract to care for a cow in calf, and once the calf is born, they give the cow back. If the calf is male, they can sell it at a local meat market, and if it’s a heifer, the family potentially have a second opportunity to raise another calf.

Cows must be loaned to a family unit and 90% of contracts are signed by women, to assist in their empowerment. While there are strict guidelines for the welfare of the cows, they’re generally treated like a member of the family.

So far Cows for Cambodia has issued hundreds of contracts, and all have been fulfilled.

The four red Brahman bulls and two heifers, one red and one grey, were selected for their short calving and light birthweight genes.

The Queensland donors were Adam Gunthorpe, Tarramba Brahmans, Banana; Alf Collins Jnr, ALC Brahmans, Nebo; Rebecca Burnham, REB Brahman stud, Augathella; Peter Dunne, Lookout Brahman stud, Duaringa; and Joe Streeter, Fairy Springs Brahman stud, Theodore.

Cosi Costello says the charity has been working towards the importation of elite Brahman genetics from Australia for almost a decade, so to see it happen was ‘a dream come true’.

“The greatest gift we can give Cambodia is these genetics. These cattle will join the charity’s core breeding herd and the bulls will be mated with Australian and Cambodian cows. Each one will make an enormous difference to the lives of the people we are working with,” Mr Costello said.

“The charity has weathered COVID-19 and we’re in a growth phase where we want to increase the quantity and quality of cows in the bank. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to everyone involved in getting these cattle to Cambodia.”

Kari and the AUSTREX operations team spent six months organising the shipment, and a week in Siem Reap settling the cattle in and learning more about the charity’s program.

As a member of the ABSF Sustainability Steering Group, Kari says Australia has an important role to play in sharing genetics to improve beef production in other countries.

“We have the luxury of access to very high-quality agricultural expertise in Australia and our genetics is part of that. I know this is only on a very small scale, but these genetics are going to have an impact throughout Cambodia more generally,” she said.

“As well as providing a quality education for children, including plans to build an agriculture school at the Cows for Cambodia farm, the charity is increasing awareness of animal welfare.”

Six years ago, Cows for Cambodia began its first in-country tours, offering Australians the chance to volunteer to help in the program and experience the culture. Around 40% of participants book to go again within 18 months, Kari says.

“As soon as you spend a day there, you understand why. It’s so rewarding. I would love to go back,” she said.

“The Australian beef industry plays a pivotal role in providing food security to millions of people, both domestically and around the world. To ensure our industry remains sustainable we must be continuously aiming to improve how we do this, and this is a simple but powerful way to achieve that.”

There are currently more than 250 cows in the Cambodian program, and the charity’s long-term goal is to build that number to 1000. A second program has been set up in Botswana, with 50 cows in the ‘bank’.

Mr Costello says it’s important for Australians to see that Cows for Cambodia is a charity that is ‘putting its money where its mouth is’.

“Instead of wondering where my donated dollar was going, I decided to put my energy into a charity where I could see the outcome. The cows are not a donation that disappears, they’re an investment and an asset that allows the charity to grow,” Mr Costello said.

“We bought our farm for USD $300,000 and it’s now valued at just over USD $1 million. And we can find further efficiencies and savings. As well as improving animal welfare in South-East Asia, we are helping to lift people out of poverty and putting food on the tables of their families.”

Cows for Cambodia volunteers helping out at the Charity’s school