Braford studs export cattle to Pakistan with the help of HRM and TPG

Braford studs from Queensland and NSW have successfully exported a variety of animals to Pakistan in what is a first for the breed.

Cattle from the MCN, Strathgyle and Little Valley studs were imported into the country by Mudassar (Hass) Hassan of HRM Livestock Pty Ltd and Adeel Shahzad of The Power Genetics in May after about a year of negotiations.

They arrived in Karachi, Pakistan, after an 18 day boat trip and are already impressing their new owners.

Speaking with Queensland Country Life, Hass said the animals would be used as part of a cross breeding program with local Indigenous breeds to improve meat quailty, carcase weights and daily weight gains.

"We have already got a few calves from Brafords and compared to our local breed and cross breeds, the Brafords, they are exceptional," he said.

"We believe they can survive in the hot conditions of Pakistan."

The coat colour of Brafords was also an admirable trait in his country.

"In Pakistan we have a festival where animals get sold on beauty. Beauty is pink nose and white face and the Braford has got the natural ability for that," he said.

"This was a historical moment as it is the first ever Braford to have come into Pakistan."

MCN Brafords stud principal Don McNamara, his sons Mark and Tim, and his brother, Strathgyle principal Winston McNamara, put together 26 heifers and nine bulls in total for the shipment.

He congratulated Hass on how simple the deal had been.

"It all started at Beef 2024 [in May] when we won champion Braford bull; the buyer approached us and asked if we could put some heifers together," Mr McNamara said.

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"A group of buyers with beef cattle, dairy and goat operations came out [to our property near Bell] after the Braford National Sale in September and had a look.

"They were looking for mid-sized, practical cattle with slick coats that would hold up well in Pakistani conditions, with similar heat to Queensland.

"Our role in moving the cattle involved transporting them to Dubbo, where they were picked up and taken to Victoria for a month of quarantine.

"We just had to take some of the usual steps to prepare them for sale, such as giving them individual ear tags, weighing and registering them.

"My understanding is that they will be used to breed commercial herds."

Australian Braford Society president Steve Donovan said semen sales into South America had been strong in recent years.

"We have had more interest in Brafords in Queensland from people east of the Great Dividing Range looking to start their herd," Mr Donovan said.

"We are now looking to develop closer links with our counterpart Braford societies in Brazil and Argentina.

"Australia has also been sounded out to host a future Braford world congress, but this decision will be subject to conversations with our members.

"There are potential markets for our genetics in countries like Pakistan that have a similar climate to Australia."

Mr McNamara said there could be more opportunities to sell into the sub-continent depending on how his family's cattle performed over there.

"The international market for our genetics is small compared to Australian breeders buying through sales at Rockhampton and Blackall in particular," Mr McNamara said

"We had an enquiry from people from New Caledonia at the Braford tent at FarmFest 2025.

"And we have had interest from people from Argentina and Brazil at sales before."