Beef Offal Exports at Record Pace
AUSTRALIA - Australian beef and veal offal exports during January to April hit a new high for the first four months of a calendar year, reaching 38,809 tonnes swt – 2 per cent higher year-on-year and 6 per cent above the five-year average (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).
1 June 2012
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The increased volume during the first four months of 2012 was underpinned by record beef and veal offal exports to Korea – surpassing Japan over the corresponding period for the first time since 2002. Exports to Korea (6,879 tonnes swt) surged 11 per cent year-on-year and 18 per cent on the five-year average, and while most offal export types remained firm, intestine volumes almost doubled year-on-year. Occasionally, Korea utilises offal products as cheaper alternatives to beef cuts. Cheekmeat (1,763 tonnes swt), intestines (1,468 tonnes swt) and skirt (1,198 tonnes swt) made up the majority share of exports for the four month period.
Beef and veal offal exports to Japan have continued to stutter during 2012, with a slowdown in yakiniku (Japanese/Korean style barbecue) restaurant sales, lingering food safety concerns and cautious buying all impacting on demand for Australian product. Shipments during January to April fell 15 per cent year-on-year and 12 per cent on the five-year average, to 6,726 tonnes swt. Tongue exports (2,386 tonnes swt) were slightly higher on the corresponding period last year, while skirt (1,871 tonnes swt) and intestine (999 tonnes swt) shipments to Japan fell 27 per cent and 34 per cent year-on-year, respectively.
While exports to Hong Kong (5,699 tonnes swt) declined 12 per cent year-on-year during the first four months of 2012, shipments were still 17 per cent higher than the five-year average, with tripe (5,587 tonnes swt) making up almost the total whole volume. Beef and veal offal exports to Russia (4,360 tonnes swt) over the same period fell 10 per cent year-on-year and 11 per cent on the five-year average, with subdued demand for product, mostly livers (3,490 tonnes swt), underpinning the overall decline.
Exports of tripe (9,108 tonnes swt), liver (7,279 tonnes swt), skirt (3,778 tonnes swt) and heart (3,294 tonnes swt) dominated the market share of beef and veal offal exports, making up 60 per cent of total shipments.
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