中国买家正筹划在澳大利亚竞购面积相当于英格兰四分之三大小的土地（连同近20万头牛），这突显出中国新崛起的中产阶层对肉类日益增长的需求。
Dealogic的数据显示，中国日益偏重肉类的饮食结构使得中国企业仅在过去五年里就为食品领域的跨境收购支付了近200亿美元。但由于美国等国担忧本国的食品安全问题，中资企业的收购也带来了冲突。
现在轮到澳大利亚新任总理马尔科姆·特恩布尔(MalcolmTurnbull)出马了，他领导的政府不得不在外来农业投资的好处与对不断扩大的外资所有权的担忧之间进行权衡。全部都是民营企业。
养牛业顾问公司Comet Line Consulting的主管戴维·贝维斯托克(David Baveystock)说："我们看到来自亚洲（尤其是中国）的投资者兴趣增加，他们希望在澳大利亚和新西兰获得食品或土地资产，以满足亚洲日益扩大的中产及上流阶层不断增长的食品需求。"
挂牌出售的是家族企业S Kidman and Co，该公司控制着澳大利亚内陆地区超过10万平方公里牧场的租赁权，并拥有近20万头牛。预计售价将为3.25亿澳元（合2.35亿美元）。被认为有望中标的企业包括总部位于广州的植物油生产商东凌粮油(Donlinks Grain and Oil Company)、上海鹏欣(Shanghai Pengxin)以及一个由上海中房置业(Shanghai CRED)牵头的财团。全部都是民营企业。
过去两年，来自亚洲、美国的需求猛增，使牛肉价格大幅上涨。旱灾使美国畜群数量降至60年来的最低水平。在澳洲，局部地区干旱以及澳元贬值已将畜牛价格推升至历史高位。
房地产大亨姜照柏所拥有的上海鹏欣控制着中国内地一家生猪养殖企业转型成的乳制品集团。上海鹏欣在新西兰投资了几十家奶牛场，包括2012年一项对新西兰最大私人乳制品集团——克拉法牧场(Crafar Farms)的引发争议的收购。
上月，新西兰否决了上海鹏欣旗下子公司斥资8800万新西兰元（合5800万美元）收购面积1.38万公顷的Lochinver牛羊养殖场交易案。在评论这项与该国的外国投资审查机构建议相悖的裁决时，新西兰土地信息部部长路易丝·厄普顿(Louise Upton)称，新西兰可获得的益处"不够多"。
新西兰农业贸易特使迈克·彼得森(Mike Petersen)说，这"意味着所有外国竞标者在试图收购土地所有权时都将发现事情已经变得更具挑战性"。上海鹏欣拒绝对此置评，只是说无法联系到姜照柏，也不能给他留言。
2012年，一个由纺织巨头山东如意(Shandong Ruyi)牵头的财团斥资2.32亿美元收购了库比棉场(CubbieStation)。自那以后，中国企业对澳大利亚农业资产的兴趣与日俱增。
受到中国牛肉及乳制品需求强劲的吸引，过去一年，澳大利亚亿万富翁们已开始收购农业资产。澳大利亚首富吉娜·莱因哈特(Gina Rinehart)、矿业大亨安德鲁·佛莱斯特(Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest)以及格里·哈维(Gerry Harvey)旗下的零售集团哈维诺曼(Harvey Norman)都收购了养牛场。
澳大利亚统计局的数据显示，截至2013年6月，外资在该国农业领域的所有权仍然不多，占总农业用地的10%、农业企业的1%（这是可得的最新数据）。
然而，过去两年，中国投资已开始更自由地流入葡萄园、海产品、养牛场和乳制品行业。上月，国有的北京农业产业投资基金(Beijing Agricultural Investment Fund)与总部位于深圳的玉湖集团(Yuhu Group)共同设立了规模为30亿澳元的基金用于投资澳大利亚农业。这加剧了澳大利亚地方当局对外资所有权的政治担忧，尽管业内专家指出，澳大利亚需要外来投资实现农场现代化、增加产出以提振出口。
2013年12月，澳大利亚政府曾阻止美国跨国公司——ADM公司(Archer Daniels Midland)以34亿澳元收购谷物处理企业GrainCorp的交易，反映出自由党(Liberal party)的执政联盟伙伴——传统上根植乡村的国家党(National party)施加的压力。
今年7月，澳大利亚将私人收购农业用地必须经过审批的门槛从2.52亿澳元下调至1500万澳元。此外，堪培拉正在制定一项外资拥有农业用地所有权的登记制度，并将于2016年颁布。
澳大利亚副总理、国家党领导人沃伦?特拉斯(Warren Truss)上月在接受《澳大利亚财经评论报》(Australian Financial Review)采访时表示："如果没有澳大利亚买家的话，将令人失望。"
安永(EY)南澳大利亚管理合伙人唐·马尼福尔德(Don Manifold)说，S Kidman的出售在澳大利亚国内外都引起了兴趣，一些企业已开始咨询澳大利亚外国投资审查委员会(Foreign Investment Review Board)。
"我们希望不久就选出最终的投标人，并在今年年底之前完成所有谈判，"他说。（中国进出口网）
Chinese buyers are hatching bids for parcels of Australian land covering an area three-quartersthe size of England complete with nearly 200,000 cattle, highlighting China's growing demandfor meat to feed its rising middle classes.
China's increasingly carnivorous diet has seen companies fork out almost $20bn on cross-border food deals in the past five years alone, according to Dealogic. But it has also broughtconflict as countries such as the US fret about their own food security issues.
Now it is the turn of Malcolm Turnbull, Australia's new prime minister, whose government mustweigh the benefits of inward agricultural investment against concerns over increasing foreignownership. On the block is family-owned.
S Kidman and Co, which controls pastoral leases covering more than 100,000sq km in theoutback and owns almost 200,000 cattle. It is tipped to fetch A$325m (US$235m). Thosebelieved to be in the running include Donlinks Grain and Oil Company, a Guangzhou-basedvegetable oil producer; Shanghai Pengxin; and a consortium led by Shanghai CRED. All areprivately owned.
"We are seeing increased investor interest from Asia, particularly China, to acquire food orland assets in Australia and New Zealand to support the growing food demand from Asia'sgrowing middle and upper classes," said David Baveystock, director at Comet Line Consulting,an adviser in the cattle sector.
Beef prices have increased sharply over the past two years on surging demand from Asia andthe US, wher a drought has reduced the national herd to its lowest level in 60 years. InAustralia, regional droughts and a fall in the Australian dollar have driven cattle prices to recordhighs.
Shanghai Pengxin is owned by Jiang Zhaobai, a real estate billionaire, and controls a hogproducer turned dairy group in mainland China. It has invested in dozens of dairy farms in NewZealand, including a controversial 2012 acquisition of Crafar Farms, the country's largestprivate dairy conglomerate.
Last month, New Zealand rejected an NZ$88m (US$58m) bid by a subsidiary of ShanghaiPengxin for the 13,800-hectare Lochinver sheep and cattle station. Louise Upton, NewZealand's land information minister, said the benefits were "not substantial enough", in a rulingthat went against the advice of the country's foreign investment watchdog.
This "means all foreign bidders will find it more challenging when they attempt to buylandholdings," said Mike Petersen, New Zealand's envoy for agricultural trade. Shanghai Pengxinwould not comment other than to say that Mr Jiang could not be reached and a message couldnot be left for him.
Chinese interest in Australian agriculture has gathered pace since 2012 when a consortium ledby textile giant Shandong Ruyi bought Cubbie Station, a cotton farm, for $232m.
Attracted by China's beef and dairy appetite, Australian billionaires have begun to acquireagricultural interests over the past year. Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest person, Andrew"Twiggy" Forrest, the mining magnate, and retail group Harvey Norman, headed by GerryHarvey, have all bought cattle stations.
Foreign ownership in agriculture remains modest, accounting for 10 per cent of totalagricultural land and 1 per cent of agricultural companies as of June 2013, according to theAustralian Bureau of Statistics — the most recent data available.
Nevertheless, in the past two years Chinese investment has begun flowing more freely intovineyards, seafood, cattle stations and the dairy industry. The state-owned Beijing AgriculturalInvestment Fund and Shenzhen-based Yuhu group last month set up a A$3bn fund to invest inAustralian agriculture. This has intensified local political concerns about foreign ownership evenas industry experts point to the need for inward investment to modernise farms and increaseproduction to boost exports.
In December 2013, the government blocked a proposed A$3.4bn takeover of Graincorp, agrain-handling company, by US multinational Archer Daniels Midland, reflecting pressure fromthe traditionally rural National party, the Liberal party's coalition partner.
In July, Australia reduced the threshold at which private acquisitions of rural land requireapproval — from A$252m to A$15m. It is also setting up a register of foreign agriculturalland ownership, which will be made public in 2016.
Warren Truss, deputy prime minister and National party leader, told the Australian FinancialReview newspaper last month that it "would be disappointing if there are no Australianbuyers".
Don Manifold, managing partner at EY South Australia, said the S Kidman sale had attractedboth overseas and domestic interest and certain parties had already begun consulting theForeign Investment Review Board.
"We are seeking to have a final bidder selected shortly and have all negotiations completed bythe end of the year," he said.
