Australia’s beef export success triggers tariff hike in South Korea
The authorities in South Korea have implemented a 24% tariff on imports of beef from Australia.
Agreements between the two countries meant that meat companies in Australia were able to ship beef to South Korea with a tariff rate of 8% for the first 170,000 tonnes exported this year. Volumes passed this limit in early September, triggering the higher rate, which will remain in place for the rest of 2025.
Industry body Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) said this export levels had reached the limit a month earlier than last year and said this was an indication of how popular Australian beef has become in the South Korean market.
MLA said it was confident consumer demand for Australian beef would remain resilient in South Korea in spite of the higher tariff rate. In particular, it explained that it expected strong sales around the Chuseok national holiday in October.
South Korea is the fourth largest export market for Australian beef at the moment.
