January 6, 2004

 

 

Australia's Queensland To Promote Beef In Asia

 

Australia's Queensland will mount a number of trade missions to promote the state's beef production, Primary Industries and Rural Communities Minister Henry Palaszczuk said Tuesday.

 

"The missions won't be about capitalizing on the U.S. situation, rather we want to promote the quality and safety of Queensland and Australian beef," the minister said in a statement.

 

He was commenting after the pre-Christmas discovery in the U.S. of a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

 

A host of countries through Asia immediately effectively banned imports of U.S. beef, including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

 

Australia competes with the U.S. to supply these major markets. Australian exporters have reported an increased level of inquiries from Japanese buyers since the news.

 

Already, in the wake of the discovery, U.S. cattle markets have plunged, while prices for Australian beef in Japan are reported to have jumped 40%.

 

Australia is a major global supplier of beef, with about two-thirds of domestic production exported. The two major markets are the U.S. and Japan.

 

Queensland is the major beef producing state, with annual exports of beef now approaching A$2 billion.

 

Palaszczuk said his department started planning the trade missions before the discovery of the BSE case was known.

 

He wants to ensure beef consumption in major export markets isn't eroded by consumer reaction to the discovery, noting a plunge in demand for beef after several cases were discovered in Japan late in 2001.

 

Two trade missions are scheduled to depart for Southeast Asia and the Middle East in February, and another for South America in May.