Australian beef exports slumped to 19-year low in 2022
Australian beef and veal exports slumped to a 19-year low in 2022 as farmers rebuilt livestock numbers after years of wild weather, inflationary pressures and labour shortages.
Total beef exports reached just 854,592 tonnes in 2022; the lowest they have been since 2003, when mad cow disease caused a substantial reduction in exports to Asian markets.
A Meat and Livestock Australia spokesperson told Guardian Australia the decline was due to low slaughter numbers and not decreased demand. They predicted exports would lift in 2023 as the national cattle herd was rebuilt.
“The low beef production in 2022 was a result of the national herd rebuild – as producers held on to stock to repopulate their farms rather than getting them processed,” the MLA said. “As a result that national cattle herd is growing in size.”
The Australian agriculture department in its December commodities report forecast a 5% reduction in beef export volumes in 2022-2023 compared with 2021-2022 due to high cattle prices, wet conditions and a limited capacity at processing facilities due to labour shortages.
Rabobank’s animal proteins analyst, Angus Gidley-Baird, said forecasts suggested there would be a substantial increase in beef exports in the second half of 2023 as the reconstruction cycle came to fruition.
“If we’re not producing more, it’s a bit hard to export any more,” he said.
Khaled Al Khawaldeh / The Guardian
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