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Where's the beef? Going to the US
3 Aug 2004
Australian beef exports to the US are running at near-record levels: last week's exports exceeded 13,000 tonnes, the highest figure for the year. Total exports to the US are only just behind the last three years, when the 378,214-tonne quota was maximised, valued at about $1.7 billion.
The Federal Agriculture Minister said it's too early to declare the quota will be maximised this year, but a notice has been issued to exporters who want to voluntarily return unused US quota. Any quota returned will go to eligible exporters who don't have available quota; it won't be available to those who have quota in their accounts.
Dennis Wise, a Profarmer analyst, said prices for lean beef imported into the US are up 43 per cent on 2003 and are near record levels, due to a reduced cow kill in the US. Mr Wise said the strong US beef market will help to neutralise the impact on Australia when US beef is re-admitted to Japan. The US is likely to become a net importer of beef, which augurs well for the Australian industry.
The Age, 3/8/04.
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