Australia                                  ...

Australia                                                                                    

Government Agency Predicts Slump In Beef Exports And Production

Australian beef production and exports will “slump” this fiscal year due to the continuing impact of one of the worst droughts in Australian history, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) forecast September 22.

In its quarterly Australian Commodities outlook publication, ABARE forecast beef output in the fiscal year July 1, 2003-June 30, 2004 will fall to 1.84 million metric tons, 11 percent lower than last fiscal year.

ABARE estimates exports will fall 13 percent to 782,000 mt shipped weight valued at A$3.58 billion from exports last fiscal year of 902,000 tons valued at A$3.76 billion.

Shipments to the U.S. are forecast to fall to 312,000 metric tons (mt) from 350,000 mt last fiscal year and an earlier high of 403,000 mt. Exports to Japan are forecast to fall to 257,000 mt this fiscal year from 277,000 mt last fiscal year, but still up from 243,000 mt in the previous fiscal year when Japan’s bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis hit all its beef imports. Australian beef exports to Japan peaked in fiscal 2000-01 at 336,000 mt.

Australia                                                                                    

Government Agency Predicts Slump In Beef Exports And Production

Australian beef production and exports will “slump” this fiscal year due to the continuing impact of one of the worst droughts in Australian history, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) forecast September 22.

In its quarterly Australian Commodities outlook publication, ABARE forecast beef output in the fiscal year July 1, 2003-June 30, 2004 will fall to 1.84 million metric tons, 11 percent lower than last fiscal year.

ABARE estimates exports will fall 13 percent to 782,000 mt shipped weight valued at A$3.58 billion from exports last fiscal year of 902,000 tons valued at A$3.76 billion.

Shipments to the U.S. are forecast to fall to 312,000 metric tons (mt) from 350,000 mt last fiscal year and an earlier high of 403,000 mt. Exports to Japan are forecast to fall to 257,000 mt this fiscal year from 277,000 mt last fiscal year, but still up from 243,000 mt in the previous fiscal year when Japan’s bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis hit all its beef imports. Australian beef exports to Japan peaked in fiscal 2000-01 at 336,000 mt.