Australian beef exports to Japan picked up in May

Lead: Sydney (Reuters) - Australia's beef exports to Japan have begun to recover, with total exports reaching 21019 tons in May, the highest level since October last year, according to MLA However, although exports in May were up 15% from April, they were still down 40% from the same period last year The cumulative export volume from January to April is 47% lower than that of last year Frozen grass fed beef exports saw the strongest growth in May, with a total increase of 2050 tonnes, or 38 per cent, to 7511 tonnes Since the first outbreak of BSE in Japan last year, grass fed beef exports have been hit the hardest, with the cumulative number of exports this year down 60% from the same period last year Exports of chilled grain fed beef in May decreased slightly, down 4% or 206 tons from April, to 5222 tons This year, Australian beef exports to Japan are expected to remain down from last year, at least in the short term Last week, the market of grass fed beef in Japan recovered slightly, and the price of "all position" specification in the wholesale market rose by 10 yen to 525 yen per kilogram However, sales of gavage beef fell, although prices remained stable Market demand for American cuts remained stable The price of domestic carcass beef in Japan has increased, but it is still much lower than that in the same period last year Due to the football World Cup, the market demand for A2 grade products has increased, although the demand for A3 and above products is very small Generally speaking, the continuous low price of domestic beef hinders the recovery of market demand for imported beef The strength of the Australian dollar has made it harder for exporters to try to increase their exports in a market that is already very difficult.