March 7, 2008

Japan lowers beef imports by 31 percent in January on strong global prices

Japan only imported a total of 26,577 tonnes swt of beef in January, down 31 percent on year on high import costs.

Imports from Australia totalled 21,282 tonnes swt, falling by 37 percent while imports from the US remained low at 2,495 tonnes, falling 26 percent from December 2007 figures.

Japan's weak imports were caused by high import costs, strong Australian dollar, limited supplies from the US, and slow beef demand from Japanese consumers.

Chilled beef imports accounted for 42 percent of the total, down 24 percent from 2007. Frozen imports were 58 percent of the total, down 36 percent.

The country's pork imports also declined by 6 percent against last year, which chicken imports fell by 3 percent.