In this second story on where Australian beef ended up last year, Meat and Livestock Australia looks at the major export destinations for our eight most popular cuts of the beef carcase.

An analysis of the export data for the main cuts of Australian beef over the course of 2011 reveals the varying tastes between our major markets.

Koreans have a taste for Australian blade and cube roll, Americans can’t get enough of our manufacturing beef, Russians love our silverside, thick flank and manufacturing beef, and the Taiwanese are buying up shin/shank. The Japanese like most of our cuts.

In 2011, Australian industry exported 949,195 swt of beef worth approximately $4.7 billion.

Close to one quarter of this tonnage was manufacturing beef – with 328,516 tonnes swt exported to our top 20 destinations. The two largest markets for our manufacturing beef were Japan and the United States who took in around two thirds of this amount between them.

The next most popular Australian cut internationally was brisket, with 85,377 tonnes swt exported to the top 20 and Japan taking in the lion’s share of this (almost 79 percent). Brisket was also one of the fastest growing cuts last year, with year-on-year growth of 15pc.

Around 63,680 tonnes swt of blade was exported last year, mainly to Japan and Korea.

Japan and Russia were the largest markets for the 57,805 tonnes swt of silverside/outside exported last year.

Sales of chuck roll to Korea grew strongly for the year, taking in more that 59 percent of the 54,981 tonnes swt exported to the top 20 destinations.

Top three markets for major Australian beef cuts:

Manufacturing beef
Japan – 116,150 tonnes swt
United States – 104,050 tonnes swt
Russia – 20, 490 tonnes swt

Brisket
Japan – 67,309 tonnes swt
Korea – 13,556 tonnes swt
Indonesia – 986 tonnes swt

Blade
Korea – 21,642 tonnes swt
Japan – 20,218 tonnes swt
Taiwan – 6,345 tonnes swt

Silverside/outside
Japan – 16,917 tonnes swt
Russia – 12,504 tonnes swt
Korea – 8,679 tonnes swt

Chuck roll
Korea – 32,580 tonnes swt
Japan – 18,061 tonnes swt
Taiwan – 1,401 tonnes swt

Topside/Inside
Japan – 16,119 tonnes swt
USA – 13,443 tonnes swt
Korea – 3,462 tonnes swt

Shin/shank
Taiwan – 12,395 tonnes swt
United States – 9,203 tonnes swt
Japan – 8,388 tonnes swt

Thick flank/knuckle
Japan – 8,020 tonnes swt
Russia – 5,109 tonnes swt
Chile – 4,635 tonnes swt