Australian grainfed beef exports to China rose by 77%
Australian grainfed beef exports to China grew by 77% in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same period last year.
"Australian grainfed beef exports totaled 70,685 tonnes shipped weight (swt) in the March quarter, up 3% from the same period last year. Growth in quarterly shipments to China was about 77% from year-ago levels to 14,347 tonnes swt.
The China market has grown in importance to Australian grainfed exports in recent years, competing extensively for the product with more traditional markets such as Japan and Korea", according to an MLA report.
Nevertheless, increased demand from China has left room for US beef to compete more aggressively in the Japanese and Korean markets.
March quarter grainfed shipments to Japan decreased 8% year-on-year, to 32,958 tonnes swt, while volumes to Korea fell 11%, to 12,284 tonnes swt. The competition in the Japanese market is going to increase in the following months as the US, Canada, and Ireland have no age limit for the cattle meat exported in this market.
USMEF estimates that removal of the 30-month cattle age limit will increase exports to Japan 7 to 10 percent, or by $150 million to $200 million per year. Besides that, Canada is the beneficiary of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) while Ireland is to take advantage of the free trade deal signed between Japan and the EU.
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