Meat overview

Last updated: 12 Jul 2007

Overview
Meat is one of Australias core food export products and underpins a significant proportion of Australia's food export statistics. Exporting is vital to the meat industry representing 60 per cent of the industrys trade with exports consisting mainly of beef, mutton and lamb, goat meat and pork. In fact, Australia is the world's second largest exporter of beef (Brazil recently took the title), exporting to more than 100 countries across the globe. Other meats include chicken and game or exotic meats such as kangaroo, wild boar and crocodile. Australias beef and sheep meat products are primarily exported as chilled and frozen primal cuts with fresh pork carcasses predominately air freighted to Singapore.

Key opportunities
The meat export markets are mature and well established with limited new opportunities arising. However, price, quality, volume, traceability and the type of product such as grain fed or pasture raised, are all elements that influence the ultimate interest of customers. Our biggest markets for meat exports are traditionally Japan, USA, Korea, China and the Middle East with the US and Japan being Australias largest market destinations on total volumes and dollar value. Emerging markets such as China and Russia are becoming increasingly important as they display a broader interest in the range of meat products available. Key market destinations include:
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Japan USA Korea China

It is important to note that meat processing facilities need to acquire appropriate and relevant registration and accreditation in order to export to key markets such as the USA, EU, China and Malaysia. Ritual slaughter such as halal and kosher also require respective licensing. AQIS and State Government authorities can advise on the requirements of different markets.
Indias meat export to Egypt, a key export destination, has been hampered by health concerns. A team of officials from Agriculture Produce and Export Development Authority (Apeda) is visiting the country on Wednesday for allaying fears over presence of any disease in export consignments. A senior Apeda official told FE that the delegation would be meeting top Egyptian agriculture and health department officials for discussing quarantine and safety issues. Frozen meat exports from India have witnessed a steady growth in the last few years

because of stern and prompt measures initiated by the government against spread of diseases in buffalo, sheep and goat. In Egypt, the export market for frozen meat, which was earlier dominated by Brazil, had been replaced by India in the last few years. Vietnam along with Malaysia and Egypt are three top export destinations for Indias frozen meat products followed by middleeast countries. There have been reports in the Egyptian media questioning the safety of frozen meat imported from India , but we stand by our product quality, the Apeda official said. Although in volume terms, India had exported just around 5 lakh tonne of mostly buffalo, sheep and goat meat to 60-odd countries in the last five years, growth in terms of value has been significant, more so in the last two years. According to latest data compiled by Apeda, exports of meat and meat products are estimated to cross Rs 6,000 crore in 2009-10. Between, April-December 2009, India exported meat and meat products worth Rs 5,859 crore. A note prepared by Apeda said that diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie have never been reported in the country. Our animals are not fed on meat and bone meal and also not stall feed, which makes virtually resistant to any major animal disease, the Apeda official told FE. India, which accounts for nearly 13% of worlds cattle population, half of buffalo population and 15% of goat population, rears most of its livestock on green pastures and is not stall fed. India has consistently maintained that Indian meat is risk-free and safe. The country exports only deboned and deglanded frozen buffalo meat obtained by compulsory chilling and maturing of carcasses at low temperature. The demand for bovine meat in international market has sparked a sudden increase in exports from India in the last few years. In 2006-07, meat and meat products exports from India were to the tune of Rs 3,279 crore, which increased to Rs 5,333 crore in 2008-09. The government has banned exports of beef and bone in meat of buffalo while it has allowed exports of sheep and goat meat and boneless buffalo meat

The Arab Republic of Egypt Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world with a population of 77 million people. (CIA World Factbook, 2005) Muslims make up 94% of the total population. The GDP per capita in the country is $4,561 CAD. Egypt is not selfsustaining in terms of food production therefore there is a great opportunity for export into Egypt. Egypt requires all meat (beef and poultry) entering the country to be Halal certified. Consumers tend to buy local fresh beef when they can and frozen imported beef. Demand for organ meat especially liver is strong due to reasonable prices compared to other cuts of beef. Fresh and frozen beef are allowed to be imported into the country as long the products are Halal certified. Canadian exports to Egypt in 2002, before the BSE crisis equalled $64,012 CAN or 72,422kg.