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Australia cashes in on beef exports as United States cattle herd shrinks

storyp1> COOMA, Australia, Oct 17 (Reuters) In a refrigerated room, around two lots personnel in hats, gloves and blue plastic aprons carve and pack carcasses into boxes within minutes of their massacre.

The Monbeef slaughterhouse, owned by Bindaree Food Group and located about 100 kilometres south of Canberra, processes some 200 cattle a day, up from 30-40 two years earlier, and could increase to 220 in the coming months.

It's an ideal time, stated Ryan McDonald, the plant's livestock supervisor. Need out of the U.S. export market is driving the prices up in abattoirs, which then drives the market up for livestock.

A downturn in U.S. beef production has opened the door for Australia to export record amounts of meat, growing its market share in The United States and Canada and Asia and channelling billions of dollars to livestock processors and farmers.

Australia and the United States are amongst the world's largest beef exporters. Each accounts for a little over 10% of the global beef trade, sending out around a million metric loads worth some $8 billion abroad every year, trade information reveal.

Drought has shrunk U.S. cattle numbers to their smallest given that the 1950s, triggering the country to import more beef and export less.

Analysts anticipate U.S. beef exports to fall further as farmers keep back livestock to reproduce and reconstruct herds, developing a growing market opportunity for rivals.

Many huge beef exporters, including top shipper Brazil, have actually limited ability to take this chance either due to production declines or restricted market access.

South American producers deal with tariffs in the United States and many are barred from delivering to Japan and South Korea, the most significant recipients of U.S. beef, due to rules on foot and mouth disease.

But Australia is flush with cattle after four primarily damp years and has trouble-free trade access to the United States, Japan and South Korea.

Australia's feast will not last forever. Cattle markets relocate cycles of de-stock and restore and by the late 2020s, Australia's herd will likely be diminished while U.S. livestock numbers must have recovered.

However for now, there's money to be made Down Under, stated Ben Theurer, a Barclays expert in Mexico City.

Australia is going to have a golden couple of years. It's going to be very, really lucrative, he stated.

At the country's top processor, the Australian arm of Brazilian multinational JBS JBSS3.SA, EBITDA rose by 57% year-on-year to $226 million in the 2nd quarter, financial declarations reveal.

Farmers are winning too. Cattle prices usually tumble when supply of animals is plentiful, but heavy guides deserve around A$ 3.50 ($2.35) a kilo, data from industry body Meat & & Animals Australia reveal, below recent peaks however above in 2015's low of A$ 2, when farmers struggled to recover cost.

We're benefiting, said George King, a farmer near Carcoar in southeast Australia. Without that worldwide need, we 'd be desperate.


MARKET SHARE Australia's shipments to the United States have rocketed from approximately 11,000 tons worth $100 million a month in 2022 to almost 40,000 heaps worth $ 290 million in August, the most for any month because 2015, customs figures accessed through Trade Data Screen program.

Australia's share of U.S. beef imports has actually risen from 12% in 2022 to 22% in the first 8 months of this year.

Exports to Asia's most significant importers, Japan, China, and South Korea, have actually also increased as U.S. shipments declined.

Australia's market share has actually grown from 38% in 2022 to 47% this year in Japan and from 35% to 45% over the exact same timeframe in South Korea, while the U.S. share fell from 40% to 34% in Japan and 55% to 48% in South Korea.

In China, where Brazil and Argentina are the most significant suppliers, Australia's share has actually increased from 7% to 8% while the U.S. share slipped from 7% to 5%.

Meat & & Animals Australia predicts that Australia's exports determined by shipped weight will rise from 1.08 million metric loads in 2023 to a record 1.36 million loads this year and 1.37 million tons in 2025 before dipping in 2026.

However, the United States will eventually broaden production and recover market share, said Angus Gidley-Baird, an analyst at Rabobank in Sydney.

This isn't a permanent shift, he stated. However it's a great chance.



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(source: Reuters)