Australia shipped 26,581 tonnes swt of beef to Japan in February, down 11% from the same period in 2009 (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry). While interest from Japan, and some prices, for Australian beef improved during the month, the extensive rain across the eastern states kept cattle supplies very tight, limting processing volumes.
The buoyant A$ - averaging 37% higher against the US$ from February 2009 – also challenged Japanese importers who were under pressure from the deflationary market. As a result, both chilled and frozen exports fell 12% to 12,798 tonnes, and 9% to 13,783 tonnes, year-on-year, respectively.