May 14, 2025

 

Australian beef exports at more than 127,000 tonnes in April

 

 

Australia exported more than 127,000 tonnes of beef last month, a record for April.

 

The biggest customer was the United States (37,213 tonnes), followed by China (21,572 tonnes).

 

The record month for Australia comes as beef exports from the US to China have ground to a halt.

 

However, many analysts feel it is too early to attribute US tariffs and trade wars to the noticeable uptick in exports.

 

Meat and Livestock Australia's global supply analyst, Tim Jackson, said the surge in export volumes was fundamentally because of record supply.

 

"Last year, we saw record beef exports and record beef production [in Australia] and we are well-positioned to achieve that again this year," he said.

 

"Australia has a large herd, rising slaughter rates, and carcass weights have been lifting consistently, so when measured in tonnes, our production is going up and that good supply flows into exports."

 

Australia's feedlot sector is also on the rise, and last month, the nation exported more than 37,000 tonnes of grain-fed beef — which is a record for any month.

 

China bought one-third of that product and so far this year has imported about 42,000 tonnes of grain-fed beef from Australia, up 36% on the same period last year.

 

According to Global Agritrends, beef exports from the United States to China have dried up and Chinese importers recently cancelled orders for 5,500 tonnes. It is reporting that other international markets have "absorbed the lost Chinese volumes" with South Korea and Japan in particular buying big.

  

- ABC News