Imported beef consumption falls in Japan
Japan’s consumption of imported beef fell to its lowest level in two years in June, according to official statistics.
The statistics, which were released by Japan’s Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation and highlighted by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), revealed that consumption of imported beef in Japan fell 31% year-on-year in June to 29,968 tonnes (t), the lowest monthly volume since June 2011.
As a result, imported beef stocks rose 25% to 90,499t, the highest level since October 2012.
MLA analysts said that the decline in consumption was likely to be the result of “subdued performance of key imported beef users in the foodservice sector” on the back of plentiful supplies from the US.
They pointed out that domestic beef consumption rose 12% year-on-year in June 2013, while total domestic beef stocks were down 16% year-on-year to 13,307t.
