WELLARD has transported its first consignment of breeding cattle from Australia to Hohhot, in China's Inner Mongolia, aboard a Qantas 747-400 cargo plane.

    The consignment included seven bulls and 175 pregnant cows and 74 heifers flown from Melbourne. The Wagyu and Angus cattle were prepared for export at the company's quarantine facility located in western Victoria.

    "The aviation transport of livestock is a specialised industry and we expect that this will be the start of more regular flights," said Wellard's rural exports chief Steve Meerwald, adding that the company previously moved livestock by sea using its own ships.

    Last year, the company shipped 16,000 head of cattle to China on its boats. Ocean shipping has been the most efficient method of moving cattle to China, "this cargo of high-value breeding cattle could only be supplied by air," he said.

(Source:http://www.schednet.com)