May 4, 2004

 

 

Australia April Beef Exports To Japan Fall

 

Australia beef exports to Japan fell further in April from March, part of a downturn in total exports in the month, according to official data issued Tuesday.

 

A recovery in beef exports to the U.S. also extended into April from March, while shipments to South Korea continue to run at well above year-ago levels, the figures show.

 

Australia is a major global supplier of beef, with annual exports worth around A$4 billion, making the beef cattle industry a cornerstone of Australian agriculture.

 

Australia's beef shipments to Japan fell to 26,756 metric tons in April, down from 29,713 tons in March and well below 35,016 tons in February.

 

Japan, South Korea and many other nations banned beef imports from the U.S. in the wake of a discovery there in late 2003 of a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

 

The import bans, which are still in place, roiled global markets and spurred a search for alternative sources, resulting in Japan taking more Australian beef and less from the U.S.

 

Australian beef exports to Japan in the first four months of 2004 of 115,186 tons were 33% higher than the 86,855 tons shipped in the year-earlier period.

 

The official figures were issued by the government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, which doesn't comment on the data.

 

The figures show total Australian beef exports in April fell to 71,476 tons from 76,598 tons in March, but up from 69,715 tons in April last year.

 

Total beef exports in the first four months of this year of 261,305 tons were down a little from 262,605 tons in the year-earlier period.

 

Beef exports to the U.S. in April of 27,308 tons were down from 28,144 tons in March, but remain well up from 20,523 tons in February.

 

Total beef shipments to the U.S. in the first four months of this year of 89,741 tons were down 11% from 100,902 tons in the year-earlier period.

 

Among other major markets, exports to South Korea jumped to 10,281 tons in April from 9,485 tons in March and from 5,211 tons in February.

 

Exports to South Korea in the first four months of this year of 28,558 tons were up 27% from 22,575 tons in the year-earlier period.

 

Exports to Taiwan in the first four months of this year of 9,925 tons are down slightly from 9,938 tons in the year-earlier period.

 

Exports to Canada, where a case of BSE was discovered in mid 2003, continue to languish.

 

In the first four months of this year, Australian beef exports to Canada totaled 2,046 tons, down from 16,475 tons in the year-earlier period.