June 25, 2012

Australia's cattle exports increase by 43% in April

Australia's cattle exports have increased by 43% on-year in April, to 73,994 head, with an associated value of AUD72.5 million (US$72.6 million), the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals.

Shipments to Indonesia (50,372 head) declined 49% on April last year, largely due to import permit restrictions, while exports to both Russia (13,283 head) and Turkey (8,400 head) increased.

Australian live sheep exports also increased in April, jumping 20% on-year to 318,011 head, with an export value of AUD43 million (US$43.09 million). This is the largest shipment reported in 2012 and brings total exports for the first four months of 2012 to 874,333 head, 7% higher than the corresponding period in 2011.

Turkey was the largest export destination for Australian live sheep in April, jumping 40% year-on-year to 103,100 head. Large shipments were also sent to Qatar (92,500 head) and Kuwait (83,638 head).