Beef exports fight chilly reception in Japan and US

<p>Beef exports to Japan continued to fall as offer prices from Japan failed to meet the expectations of Australian producers, the Meat and Livestock Authority said.</p> <p>Only 10,318 tonnes of beef were shipped to Japan in the first half of September, compared with 31,130 tonnes in September last year.</p> <p>Producers are struggling to find alternative markets and are not helped by a chilly reception to beef in the US as well.</p> <p>The MLA said there was "a great deal of concern" about the potential negative impact of high oil prices and lower disposable incomes on the fast food sector, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.</p> <p>Many importers were unwilling to purchase significant volumes of product in advance, instead preferring to purchase only when necessary, the MLA said.</p> <p>US Customs cleared imports of 215,333 tonnes of Australian beef in the first two weeks of September, a decrease of 3% from the same time last year. </p> <p>New Zealand beef imports were also below the same period last year, down 14%, to 153,830 tonnes.</p> <br />