Aussies eye up European beef market

19 January 2001



Aussies eye up European beef market

By FWi staff

AUSTRALIAN farmers are hoping to fill the vacuum in the European beef market caused by recent BSE scares.

Beef sales have plummeted by as much as 50% on the European Continent after higher-than-expected levels of BSE were discovered among cattle.

Australian National Farmers Federation president Ian Donges said the situation provided “an excellent opportunity” for Australia to revisit its 7000-tonne beef quota into the EU.

“Major hamburger chains in the European Union, for example, have been getting very nervous about their local beef,” he told The Weekly Times newspaper.

“So why shouldnt they and their consumers have more access to clean, disease-free meat from Australia?”

Last week, Australia banned all beef products from more than 30 European countries in response to the scare.

• For further details on this story click here
• For further details on Australias ban on European beef click here
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