June 1, 2009

Australia beef exports to South Korea fall 17.8 percent

Australian beef shipments fell 17.8 percent on-year to 8,543 tonnes swt during May 1-25.

In May 2008 when US beef was not yet available to South Korea, Australian beef exports to the Korean market reached 10,399 tonnes swt

South Korea's beef import figures for April indicated a 58 percent market share for Australia with 10,573 tonnes swt, US beef 25 percent at 4,606 tonnes, and New Zealand beef 16 percent at 2,918 tonnes.

Major South Korean retailers have reported significant shifts in the composition of imported beef sales since December 2008.

E-Mart sold 900 tonnes swt more Australian beef than US beef in the last six months, while Homeplus sold 605 tonnes more.

In December last year, E-Mart sold 416 tonnes swt of US beef against 405 tonnes swt of Australian beef. In May, E-Mart sold only 180 tonnes swt of US beef while 460 tonnes swt of Australian beef was sold.

Korean retailer Lotte Mart reported a similar sales trend for imported beef during the same period.