Oz Prime Minister Boosts Beef Sales in Japan

Flanked by a huge media contingent, Prime Minister Rudd stopped by the meat section of the Jusco supermarket where Australian beef is sold and provided a helping hand to Aussie Beef promotional staff serving up beef samples to shoppers.

Japan is Australia’s largest beef export market and Aussie Beef is the highly recognised and trusted brand used to promote Australian beef in that market.

Meat & Livestock Australia’s regional manager in Japan, Samantha Jamieson said the support of Prime Minister Rudd was a real boon for the Australian beef industry.

“The visit by Prime Minister Rudd and his support of Aussie Beef was absolutely fantastic. We greatly appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to help us promote Australian beef in Japan. Such high level support provides a great boost for our industry,” Ms Jamieson said.

The visit by Prime Minister Rudd comes just days before Father’s Day in Japan, a period of very high beef consumption and a time when MLA ramps up its promotional efforts.

Ms Jamieson said Father’s Day, held on 15 June, was a hugely popular event in Japan and that Aussie Beef was playing an increasingly bigger role in the celebration of the day.

“Certainly compared to Australia it’s quite a unique situation; Father’s Day is the second largest single beef sales period for Japanese retailers after Christmas. Many Japanese families enjoy a meal at home or outdoor barbecues that feature beef, which is very much a ‘celebration food’ in Japan,” Ms Jamieson said.

“All the major national retailers are participating in the Aussie Beef Father’s Day promotion and we are running advertisements in newspapers and magazines in the lead up to Father’s Day. We will also hold the equivalent of 1,800 days of in-store sampling over the Father’s Day weekend to support the promotion.”

Soon after the Father’s Day promotion MLA Japan will be conducting a two month long promotion with the huge AEON supermarket group, with 12 supermarket chains and 1,200 outlets participating. As part of the in-store promotion those shoppers that buy Australian beef will go into the draw to win hundreds of prizes, including casserole pots and plate sets.

Japan accounts for nearly half of all Australia’s red meat exports. Australia has been the world’s largest exporter of beef to Japan since December 2003 when the US was banned from exporting to that country following the discovery of BSE in their herd.

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