Meat + Poultry - September 2006 - 18

International News & Trends
Bulgarian processor wants South Korean pork
to export products to E.U. imports slow down

Brazil sees slight increase
in beef exports

Bravo, one of Bulgaria's largest meat
processing companies, is spending
nearly $2 million on equipment to
boost its production by 15 percent and
improve packaging quality. The company, which
i s k n ow n
for its ham
and sausage
products, is
also undergoing a review from European Union
sanitation authorities, and it hopes to
be licensed to sell its products on the
E.U. markets.
Currently, Bulgarian pork is banned
form E.U. markets because of swine
fever inoculation reported earlier this
year, but the company is negotiating
with German retailers about exporting 20 tonnes of chicken and turkey
hams per week.

Brazil, the world's No. 1 exporter of beef,
exported 816,917 tonnes of beef in the
first seven months of 2006, an increase
of 2.29 percent, according to
the Brazilian Agriculture Confederation. The
volume of fresh beef exported fell 0.89
percent to 651,542 tonnes; however,
revenues increased 10.85 percent to
$41.596 billion. The revenue increase
was supported by an 11.85 percent
price hike.
Russia remains Brazil's top importer
of fresh beef with 116,323 tonnes for the
first seven months, yet this was down
27.51 percent from the previous year.
However, with the price increases, revenues were down only 15.01 percent.
Brazil's beef exports also remain
constrained by foot-and-mouth disease, which has kept Brazilian beef out
of markets such as Japan, the United
States and South Korea.

Although South Korea imported 18.9
percent more pork in the first six months
of this year compared to the same period
in 2005, the growth rate was not as high
as it has been the past two years. According to a report released by the Korea Customs Service, South Korea
imported 188,848
tons of pork from
January to July,
and 27 percent of
that total was from the United States.
However, the growth rate for imported pork was 49.4 percent in 2005 and
44.2 percent in 2004, years in which
U.S. beef was banned in South Korea.
Korea According to the Korea Times,
Korean meat buyers are saving capital
to buy U.S. beef. South Korean trade officials are expected to resume imports
of U.S. beef soon.

Australia's beef exports continue growing
Although U.S. beef has started to trickle back into Japan following the lifting
of the beef ban in late July, Australia remains a strong exporter of beef to Japan. And according to Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd., Australia is on pace
to reach its forecast of exporting 395,000 tonnes
of boneless beef to Japan this year, which would
be just 2.5 percent less than in 2005.
In the first eight months of 2006, Australia has
exported to 259,849 tonnes to Japan. It has also
experienced volume increase in higher-value exports such as chilled product, which increased 4 percent. Exports of grain-fed
beef from Australia increased 8 percent and accounted for more than half of
all exports to Japan in August.
Additionally, Australia shipped a monthly record of 15,811 tonnes of beef to
South Korea in August, and for the first eight months of 2006, it has shipped
88,249 tonnes, an increase of 36 percent on the year. M.L.A. attributed the record export to South Korea's delay in ending its U.S. beef ban, low stock levels
and strong demand ahead of the upcoming high demand of Thanksgiving.
However, exports of Australian beef to the United States are down 14 percent
for the year. The United States is Australia's second-largest export market, and
in the first eight months of this year, Australia has exported 194,917 tonnes to
the United States. Tight Australian cow beef supplies and the continued high
demand from South Korea and Japan have contributed to fewer exports to the
United States, according to M.L.A.
18

MEAT&POULTRY

September 2006

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Hong Kong may resume
beef imports from Japan
Hong Kong could resume imports of
Japanese beef later this fall, if the final
details of an
accord can
be worked
out. Japanese beef
has been
banned in
Hong Kong since September 2001,
when Japan discovered its first case of
bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Hong Kong will review Japan's inspection procedures for B.S.E. and food
safety measures taken at its plants, and
if satisfied, it likely would resume imports. Japan exported more than 60
tonnes of beef to Hong Kong in 2000.

http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Meat + Poultry - September 2006

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