February 3, 2012

Japanese beef imports rise by 4% for 2011

Despite a year rocked by a slow economy, the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and beef safety incidents, Japanese beef imports rose by 4% on-year to 517,231 tonnes last year.

Chilled beef imports totalled 213,400 tonnes (up 1% year-on-year), with volumes from the US expanding 40% to 61,916 tonnes, largely assisted by the weak US dollar. In contrast, the strong Australian dollar undermined the price competitiveness of Australian chilled beef, with shipments falling 10% to 139,763 tonnes.

Imports of frozen beef were up 5% from 2010 to 303,831 tonnes, supported by firm demand from the fast food and food processing sectors. In 2011, supplies from the US were up 24% to 58,689 tonnes, while Australian volumes remained steady at 198,979 tonnes (up 1%).

Total beef imports during 2011 were the highest since 2003, but still 10% lower than the pre-US BSE year, and below 28% compared with 2000 when beef consumption peaked in Japan.