Released last week the export figures showed that just 72,607 tonnes of beef were dispatched to overseas markets in October, a figure not seen since April 2012
By contrast peak export tonnage over the same period was 123,000 recorded in March 2015 at the height of drought turnoff.
At an average unit price of around AU$7/kg, the difference of 236,000t represents a $1.65 billion drop in export earnings, so trade balance and economic multiplier effects are significant. But for the time being at least, it should not get any worse.