March 13, 2012

Australia's 2012 beef exports to EU on strong start

Australian beef exports to the EU have a strong start for 2012, with February exports totalling 1,440 tonnes, up 23% on-year, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) said.

Chilled beef made up 92% of shipments in February, with the majority of product high quality, entering the EU under both the 'Hilton' high quality beef (HQB) quota and the HQB grainfed quota.

Grainfed exports have remained strong after a good 2011, with exports for February at 353 tonnes. Topside/inside made up the largest proportion of total exports at 22%, followed by striploin (18%) and rump(16%).

In contrast, sheep meat exports slowed on-year for the January to February period, with total shipments back 11%, to 2,125 tonnes, 21% below the five-year average. Lamb shipments were down 9% to 1,761 tonnes. 

Chilled lamb exports have had a strong start to 2012, with shipments in February up 111% up on-year, making up 69% of total exports. In the 2011 calendar year, chilled lamb shipments made up 41% of all lamb exports, compared with 44% in 2010, illustrating the strong start to the year for chilled product.