[마이데일리 = 김성호 기자]“Are the prices of imported beef from Australia going up?”
In Australia, a major exporter of agricultural and livestock products, there is a severe supply and logistics disruption in the wake of the recent spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) Omicron mutation. This is because the shortage of labor is worsening as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and quarantines is increasing.
Accordingly, the beef market in Asia, including Korea, is worried that there will be a serious setback in the supply and demand of Australian beef. Korea is the fourth largest importer of Australian beef along with China and Japan.
Australia’s Corona outbreak of manpower shortage and logistics crisis… ‘Direct hit’ to beef exports to Asia
Above all, the situation inside Australia, where omicron mutations are rapidly spreading, is serious.
According to the Australian public broadcaster ABC on the 20th, as of the 18th, the number of new cases in Australia reached 84,615 and the death toll was 67. The average daily number of confirmed cases per week exceeded 100,000. The total population of Australia is 26.06 million as of 2021, which is about half of that of Korea.
In Australia, people who have been in close contact with a confirmed case of Corona will self-isolate for up to 10 days without going to work in accordance with government policy. Naturally, the shortage of workers in the agriculture and livestock industry, the main industry, and truck drivers, who account for most of the logistics, is inevitable.
The Australian media reports that the food stalls of Woolworths and Coles, Australia’s two largest supermarket chains, are empty as agricultural and livestock products such as meat, fruits and vegetables are not being properly supplied to front-line supermarkets.
The aftermath of Australia’s supply and logistics crisis from Corona is showing signs of hitting directly on agricultural and livestock exports.
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that “the chaos resulting from supply chain disruptions in Australia is beginning to affect exports to Asia, including China and Hong Kong.” According to the SCMP, Asian countries such as Korea, China and Japan import about 70% of Australian agricultural and livestock products.
“I eat Australian beef instead of expensive Korean beef… What should I do?”
Emergency lights were also turned on in the Korean beef market, which imports a lot of Australian beef. This is because domestic beef prices are already strong due to an increase in feed prices and imbalances in supply and demand.
According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Korea’s total beef imports last year amounted to 458,812 tons, up 7.9% from the previous year. By country, the U.S. has the highest with 254,873 tons, followed by 161,136 tons from Australia and 17,629 tons from New Zealand. Annual Australian beef imports are said to be over 1.3 trillion won.
This seems to be due to the increase in beef consumption ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, but the recent rise in domestic Australian beef prices is unusual. According to the Agricultural Products Distribution Information (KAMIS) of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the average retail price of 100g of Australian ribs as of the 20th was 3,513 won, a 47.5% increase from 2,381 won in the normal year.
An official from a meat importer said, “Recently, delays in imports of Australian beef have already occurred in some regions. However, if the supply-demand instability from Australia is further aggravated, beef prices could rise even higher,” he said.
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By Kim Seong-ho, staff reporter shkim@mydaily.co.kr
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