Latest news with #Gidley-Baird
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Will lifting the US beef ban put more foreign meat on menus?
The US is the biggest buyer of Australian beef, although in recent years China has claimed the No.1 spot. Traditionally, Japan is frequently the No.1 importer of Australian beef. Australia exports 70 per cent of the beef it produces, to more than 100 countries around the world. The beef industry in Australia is worth $75 billion. How much beef do we get from the US each year? Australia imports no beef from the US. The change announced today will allow beef back in. But don't hold your breath waiting for a surge of US imports. 'I don't believe there will be any major volumes flowing from the US to Australia', said Rabobank senior analyst Angus Gidley-Baird. 'US exports volumes this year in total are declining at the moment, because they have lower beef supplies available and higher beef prices, making them less competitive.' In time, Gidley-Baird said: 'There is opportunity for more select food service operators who might want to put it on the menu as a one-item as something special.' An example would be a US-style steakhouse that wants to feature American beef. Does this mean our stores and restaurants will start selling US beef? Given the pricing, Gidley-Baird thinks it would be unlikely. US beef costs the same if not more than high-quality Australian beef. McDonald's Australia uses 100 per cent Australian beef which it plans to continue to do. Costco, Hungry Jacks, Grill'd, Betty's Burgers, Boss Burger have been contacted for comment. Littleproud warns that US beef prices will fall one day, creating a path for US imports. Is Australian beef better than US beef? Australian beef tends to be less grain-fed than American beef. About 95 per cent of the US cattle 'continue to be finished, or fattened, on grain for the last 160 to 180 days of life' involving feedlots, or an animal feeding operation a US researcher has said. In Australia, the share of cattle in feedlots is closer to 35-40 per cent, with the steer spending more time in pastures, 'which does lend itself to a leaner product and slightly different flavour,' said Gidley-Baird. Loading Does the Coalition support the changes? Coalition partners the Nationals are seeking a scientific review of the decision behind the change. Cattle Australia, which supports grass-fed beef producers, also supports a review. 'There's a lot of community concern around this,' CEO of Cattle Australia Will Evans said. 'There is a lot of consumer concern and a lot of industry concern around this.' Is US beef safe? Will there be transparency? Evans said his group had not taken issue so much with the science that the government used, but the regime of detailed safety checks that the Australian industry will be able to hold the US to. Evans said if and when US cattle is exported to Australia, it's on a producer-by-producer basis rather than for the entire industry. Currently, Japan and Australia's beef industry have in place a series of standards, including detailed inspections of each other's farms, to ensure mutual trust among the exporters. Evans said that there appears to be 'some kind of politicisation of this specific topic' but from the perspective of the Australian industry: 'This is an issue that we've known about for quite some time that predates President Trump. This is something that obviously got elevated by his commentary this year, but it was an existing issue.'
The Age
7 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Will lifting the US beef ban put more foreign meat on menus?
The US is the biggest buyer of Australian beef, although in recent years China has claimed the No.1 spot. Traditionally, Japan is frequently the No.1 importer of Australian beef. Australia exports 70 per cent of the beef it produces, to more than 100 countries around the world. The beef industry in Australia is worth $75 billion. How much beef do we get from the US each year? Australia imports no beef from the US. The change announced today will allow beef back in. But don't hold your breath waiting for a surge of US imports. 'I don't believe there will be any major volumes flowing from the US to Australia', said Rabobank senior analyst Angus Gidley-Baird. 'US exports volumes this year in total are declining at the moment, because they have lower beef supplies available and higher beef prices, making them less competitive.' In time, Gidley-Baird said: 'There is opportunity for more select food service operators who might want to put it on the menu as a one-item as something special.' An example would be a US-style steakhouse that wants to feature American beef. Does this mean our stores and restaurants will start selling US beef? Given the pricing, Gidley-Baird thinks it would be unlikely. US beef costs the same if not more than high-quality Australian beef. McDonald's Australia uses 100 per cent Australian beef which it plans to continue to do. Costco, Hungry Jacks, Grill'd, Betty's Burgers, Boss Burger have been contacted for comment. Littleproud warns that US beef prices will fall one day, creating a path for US imports. Is Australian beef better than US beef? Australian beef tends to be less grain-fed than American beef. About 95 per cent of the US cattle 'continue to be finished, or fattened, on grain for the last 160 to 180 days of life' involving feedlots, or an animal feeding operation a US researcher has said. In Australia, the share of cattle in feedlots is closer to 35-40 per cent, with the steer spending more time in pastures, 'which does lend itself to a leaner product and slightly different flavour,' said Gidley-Baird. Loading Does the Coalition support the changes? Coalition partners the Nationals are seeking a scientific review of the decision behind the change. Cattle Australia, which supports grass-fed beef producers, also supports a review. 'There's a lot of community concern around this,' CEO of Cattle Australia Will Evans said. 'There is a lot of consumer concern and a lot of industry concern around this.' Is US beef safe? Will there be transparency? Evans said his group had not taken issue so much with the science that the government used, but the regime of detailed safety checks that the Australian industry will be able to hold the US to. Evans said if and when US cattle is exported to Australia, it's on a producer-by-producer basis rather than for the entire industry. Currently, Japan and Australia's beef industry have in place a series of standards, including detailed inspections of each other's farms, to ensure mutual trust among the exporters. Evans said that there appears to be 'some kind of politicisation of this specific topic' but from the perspective of the Australian industry: 'This is an issue that we've known about for quite some time that predates President Trump. This is something that obviously got elevated by his commentary this year, but it was an existing issue.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
World's beef eaters facing major price hikes ahead of barbecue season
Carnivores will likely need deeper pockets this year as global beef supplies tighten and prices head up again, in turn meaning more expensive barbecues, burgers, bolognese and steak dinners. "Global beef production is expected to contract through the remainder of the year, with an overall contraction of 2% projected for the year," according to Angus Gidley-Baird of RaboResearch, part of Dutch lender Rabobank. Some of the world's major cattle and beef producer countries expected to be affected, Gidley-Baird said, with "largest contractions" expected in Brazil and New Zealand, while Europe, the US and China are also likely to see reductions. Even if other suppliers such as Australia and Argentina remain unaffected, the contracting supplies elsewhere are likely to see the "further supporting" of already "elevated" cattle prices. Not only are global cattle markets "trending higher" this year, prices in Europe have seen an "especially strong rise in Q1 [the first quarter of the year] as domestic supplies contracted while demand remained strong." Pests and diseases are affecting cattle supplies in Europe and North America, according to the researchers, who said that although beef has not been mentioned as a commodity to be targeted for tariffs beyond the impact of general or "baseline" measures, the prospect of further trade tensions has seen some reconfiguring of markets. "Reports are emerging that Chinese buyers are looking more toward Australian, New Zealand and South American suppliers as US beef becomes unavailable or more expensive," Rabobank's researchers said. The report follows warnings in some countries that the price of "conventional" beef has reached that of usually more expensive organic beef. This time of year usually sees seasonal high demand and high prices for beef as the 'barbecue season' associated with European and North American summers approaches. Global food prices already saw significant increases during Covid lockdowns and in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, a war pitting two major food commodity producers against each other. Prices for the most part have not returned to their pre-2020 level, with recent reports warning of further rises for staples such as coffee, cocoa, olive oil and sugar.
West Australian
03-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Australian farmers poised for near-record beef production as other countries produce less
Australian cattle farmers are gunning to exceed the beef production records they set last year, with cattle prices expected to 'remain steady' or potentially rise in the face of political tensions. Rabobank's new Australian beef seasonal outlook painted a positive picture for beef producers — who produced 2.57 million tonnes last year — with the nation's high beef production volumes being matched by growing global demand. The annual report, produced by the agribusiness banking specialist's RaboResearch division, revealed the 'relatively-balanced' market would support stable prices and good returns for Australian beef producers. Report author, RaboResearch senior animal proteins analyst Angus Gidley-Baird, said successive favourable seasons – with the exception of ongoing significant dry areas in Victoria and south-east South Australia – had allowed Australian cattle numbers to build. 'The increased calving from this larger cattle inventory is now flowing into markets as finished cattle, with 2024 setting a new record (2.57Mt) in Australian beef production,' Mr Gidley-Baird said. Rabobank modelling indicates that the National Young Cattle Indicator should trade between 360¢/kg and 425¢/kg lwt (liveweight – the weight of a live animal) in 2025 with an average across the year of 409¢/kg. 'This would be a 23 per cent increase on the average price of 2024,' Mr Gidley-Baird said. 'And modelling for 2026 shows a range of 400¢/kg to 420¢/kg with an average across the year of 410¢/kg.' Mr Gidley-Baird said higher cash receipts would offset an expected rise in costs, leading to a lift in farm cash income. The number of cattle turned off this year is expected to remain high, with high carcase weights meaning the production volume would remain close to last year's record. The beef production boom comes as Australia's competitors temper their production this year, creating demand for imports and reducing competition in Australian export markets. Brazil's beef production was set to plummet five per cent, or 555,000t, while US production would dip 100,000t and China 40,000t. With these factors in mind, Mr Gidley-Baird said it was likely cattle prices would remain steady or even rise. 'However, as we have seen in the first four months of the year, there remain uncertainties around trade, with the imposition of tariffs and geopolitical tensions that can lead to trade disruptions,' Mr Gidley-Baird said. 'Notwithstanding, 2025 is shaping up to be a good year for the Australian beef cattle industry with steady prices and strong production.' The US is flagged to remain Australia's biggest beef export market, which Mr Gidley-Baird said would drive 'strong import demand and higher prices' — despite US President Donald Trump's tariffs on Australian beef imports. Rabobank's report echoed prior industry forecasts that the US was entering a period of cattle-herd rebuild, but predicted it would 'be minor' this year. The report revealed Australia's domestic beef consumption, per capita, would drop slightly this year due to ongoing economic pressures. But that figure could change as household incomes increase, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia.
