July 9, 2009

Australia live cattle exports in May increased sharply, thanks to high shipments to Indonesia.

Australia shipped 91,851 head of cattle in May, the highest May total since 1997, with exports for the first five months of 2009 reaching 330,000 head, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

A total of 78,510 head of cattle were shipped to Indonesia during May, up 51 percent on-year. After a relatively slow start to 2009, with only 72,000 head exported in January and February combined, mainly due to tight supply, exports to Indonesia have increased steadily since then. Shipments to Indonesia from January to May grew 17 percent on-year to a record 270,522 head.

Jordan also recorded a large volume of imported Australian cattle in May at 9,115 head. Saudi Arabia imported 1,989 head, Malaysia 1,275 head and Bahrain 600 heads. Japan imported only 300 head of Australian cattle.