October 10, 2008

Australian beef shipments to Japan in September surged 13.1 percent on-year to 30,247 tonnes, the first increase in two months, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

MLA attributed the rise in frozen beef exports to strong demand from the Japanese fast food sector.

Shipments of frozen beef reached 17,917 tonnes, up 40 percent. Chilled beef exports, in contrast, dropped 11.6 percent to 12,330 tonnes.

Grassfed beef represented 17,950 tonnes of total exports, up 25.4 percent. Grainfed beef fell 1 percent to 12,297 tonnes.

From January to September 2008, Australia has exported 275,368 tonnes of beef to Japan, down 2.2 percent on-year.