May 14, 2012

Australia's live cattle exports declined for March

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australia's live cattle trade dropped significantly last year during March, to 24,214 head, a 53% on-year decline for the month, primarily due to lower exports to Indonesia, with only very limited import permits available in March.

According to the ABS figures, Australian live cattle exports to Indonesia during March totalled 3,756 head, which used up the remainder of the 60,000 head of first quarter import permits for 2012, following 31,419 head in February and 28,155 head in January. However, preliminary figures for April from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) show that Australian cattle exports during April bounced back, reportedly exceeding 50,000 head, facilitated by the allocation of the second quarter of import permits of 125,000 head.

Other markets to receive Australian cattle during March included the Philippines, at 4,355 head - which were the first cattle shipped there since November last year. Higher volumes were also recorded to China (3,818 head), Mauritius (3,170 head), Malaysia (2,940 head) and Japan (2,434 head).

As a result of the import permit restraint on exports to Indonesia during the March quarter, total Australian live cattle exports for the first three months of 2012 totalled 119,875 head - down 20% on the corresponding period in 2011 and the slowest start to a year since 2006.