July production figures are encouraging despite gloomy expectations, and beef exports increased.
Figures released by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources put the July production tonnage at 105,157, the second highest monthly total for the year so far.
Japan continues to be Australia’s largest beef export market; the July export figure of 30,195t is significant because it is the first time in five years that monthly volume has exceeded 30,000t.
This confirms that export growth is being maintained at 11 per cent and suggests that the end-of-year result may push up to around 320,000t.
That would be a very significant achievement as the last time a volume of that magnitude occurred was in 2011.