Edible beef offal exports from Australia displayed a huge jump in 2023, in line with higher levels of beef production as the year progressed.

Edible offal (sometimes termed fancy meats) shipments to all markets last year reached 157,527 tonnes – their highest level since 2019.

Shipments last calendar year were up by more than 33,000 tonnes or 27 percent on the 2022 year.

Australians are not keen consumers of beef offals, meaning a much larger proportion of production is exported, than is the case with chilled and frozen muscle meat and trim.

Indonesia remained easily Australia’s single largest offal export client, accounting for 43,084t of frozen offals for the year – 27pc of all international trade.

That represented a huge 32pc rise on offal exports to Indonesia the year before, (32,600t), and easily the largest in-country figure seen since 2019.

South Korea remained Australia’s second largest offal customer last year, accounting for 29,700t – up 6000t or 25pc from 23,776t the year before.

Japan has always been an active market for Australian offals, especially items like royal tongues, which are a popular grilling item in Japanese cuisine.

Japan last year accounted for 22,700t of Australian offals, while trade into China (restricted to certain offal items only) took just 2437t.

Other significant trade last year went into the United States (just over 9100t); South Africa (7069t); the Middle East region (5881t); Central and Southern America (2842t); Hong Kong (4106t); Philippines (4880t); and Malaysia (6315t).

Offals, both edible and in other forms (hides, tallow, meatmeal, blood serum) are sometimes colloquially termed ‘the fifth quarter’. They represent an important part of the overall revenue stream from each animal slaughtered, for beef processors.