Total Australian beef and veal production for 2012 is forecast to reach a record 2.197 million tonnes, according to Meat & Livestock Australia. According to Meat & Livestock Australia’s Chief Economist Tim McRae, the predicted 2.2 per cent increase from 2010’s production volume is a result of continued strong demand from an increasingly diverse range of global markets. Total beef exports are predicted to increase, driven by expansion into Russia, the Middle East and most southern Asian... ...Read more »

Far-reaching reforms are being implemented to simplify the giving of certifications by the Australian Government for agricultural and food exports. According to the Federal Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), the reforms aim to reduce “chronic regulatory burdens” and will provide an environment that supports and enhances export market access from Australia. New industry service models for all Australian food export commodities – meat, fish, dairy, grain,... ...Read more »

Despite a fall in Australian lamb production during 2011, strong overseas demand and tight global supplies (particularly out of New Zealand) resulted in the third largest volume of lamb exported from Australia on record.   China saw a major jump during 2011 in Australian lamb imports, up 15 per cent year-on-year, to 29,620 tonnes. This is a region identified by both Australia and New Zealand as a key growth market for lamb (and mutton). With disruptions to New Zealand supply during late 2010... ...Read more »

Latest figures from Australia’s Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry show that the volume of beef exported to Japan during 2011 was the lowest since 2003. Japan is the largest destination of Australian beef exports. Australia sent 30,202 tonnes of beef to Japan in December 2011, taking the annual total to 342,186 tonnes. This was four per cent less than the amount exported in 2010. According to Meat & Livestock Australia, Australian beef exports have been impacted by the... ...Read more »

Australian juice companies are continuing to use oranges from Brazil that may contain residues of the potentially harmful fungicide carbendazim, despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) temporarily banning Brazilian orange imports due to health concerns. Carbendazim is used to control plant diseases in cereals and fruit, including citrus, bananas, strawberries, pineapples. Studies have found that high doses of carbendazim cause infertility and destroy the testicles of laboratory animals.... ...Read more »

This article has been written as a special briefing for Australian Food News readers on an important topic. The author Joe Lederman is the Managing Principal of FOODLEGAL.  He is  both a specialist lawyer and strategic consultant for food suppliers. He has expertise in food regulatory compliance and marketing law and is involved in all food sectors.   Experts from the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation are warning governments around the world... ...Read more »

The announcement yesterday by the Indonesian Government of drastic cuts to the live cattle export quota from Australia in 2012 should come as no surprise. The Australia Government and its industry partner Meat & Livestock Australia (the MLA) have been providing technical assistance to Indonesia’s growing beef feedlot industry for some time. The Indonesian Government has announced it is halving the quota of Australia’s live cattle exports to 280,000 cows in 2012. Indonesia intends to shut... ...Read more »

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, has used an address to members of the National Diet of Japan to support further agricultural trade liberalisation and to emphasise the importance of addressing agricultural protectionist reforms in Japan, by negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Japan is Australia’s largest export market for beef and dairy products and is also a key market for Australian wine. Japan is also an important trading partner for a range of Australian... ...Read more »

The collapse of global olive oil prices and the volatile market conditions for olive oil producers from Europe and North Africa are being blamed for one of Australia’s largest olive oil producers, Kailis Organic Olive Oil Groves Group, going into receivership, according to the receivers, KordaMentha. Others are saying that the financial woes encountered by the company are partially self-made and attributable to a failed managerial investment scheme, creating refinancing difficulty. Kailis Organic... ...Read more »

Australia’s peak pork industry organisation, Australian Pork Limited, has criticised the Australian Government for failing to notify the industry of illegal pork imports from South Korea in 2010, when South Korea was in the midst of a serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Chief executive officer of Australian Pork Limited (APL), Andrew Spencer said the APL only found out about the illegal imports through a government report published last week by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and... ...Read more »