June 28, 2004

Tough Competition For Taiwan Beef Business

Beef import figures from Taiwan over the first three months of 2004 show strong activity from New Zealand, according to research by Meat and Livestock Australia. MLA said the banning of both US and Canadian beef from the Taiwanese import market has led to Australia and New Zealand being the two key import suppliers.

Over the first quarter of 2004, New Zealand claimed a 54 percent share of the total beef import market, compared with Australia's 42 percent. Taiwan imported 17,690 metric tons of beef during this period, seven percent lower than the same time last year. Chilled beef imports from Australia increased by 66 per cent to 434 metric tons while frozen imports were four percent below 2003 volumes at 7,036 tons.

Imports of New Zealand beef have greatly improved, with volumes of chilled beef rising by 70 per cent to 1,153 metric tons and frozen by 55 percent to 8,322 tons. Chilled imports from New Zealand even surpassed volumes typically imported from the US over the same period.

MLA said that some sources indicate that New Zealand exporters were fast in responding to inquiries from Taiwan in the first few months of the year. Tight supplies of Australian products and strong demand from other key markets, such as Japan and Korea, over the period have also contributed to this trend.