October 11, 2006

Japan imports lower volumes of beef in August
 

High beef prices and a weaker yen have led to a drop in Japanese beef imports for the month of August, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) said.

Japan's beef imports for August fell 5 percent on-year to 33,911 tonnes while beef imports during the first eight months of 2006 fell 6 percent to 302,990 tonnes compared to the same period last year.

Chilled beef and frozen beef imports were down 6 percent (to 17,514 tonnes) and 4 percent (to 16,397 tonnes) respectively.

Australian beef makes up 95 percent of Japan's chilled beef imports and 81 percent of its frozen beef imports. 

Australian beef is wielding a stronger grip over the Japanese beef market as other competitors lost ground and US beef import volumes continue to be low.

Japanese imports of New Zealand beef during August were down 18 percent to 3,145 tonnes, South American imports fell 42 percent to 632 tonnes and Canadian beef imports  fell 17 percent to 222 tonnes.