June 28, 2006

Australia takes measures to ensure it retains Japanese beef market

With Japan expected to resume importing beef from the US in late July, Australia is taking measures to make sure Australian beef does not lose its lustre.

With Japan's overall beef consumption falling and consumer confidence shaken over cases of mad cow disease in the US and Canada, Australian producers are counting on measures such as enhancing traceability and better feeds to boost exports.

Australia joins Japan, Europe and Canada, and New Zealand in implementing cattle tracing systems to maintain consumer confidence in their beef.

Australian producers are also using better feeds to make sure their beef is more appealing to Japanese tastes.

For example, Stockyard, a meat company based in Brisbane with 7,500 head of cattle, uses a combination feed of barleycorn and sunflower seeds to enhance its beef's flavour. 

The company's beef used to be chiefly lean meat from grass fed cattle, but after Japan banned imports of US beef, the company increased production on beef streaked with fat by raising cattle fed on cereals.