Marketing in Europe and Russia
Throughout Europe, Australia has a reputation as a reliable supplier of quality red meat and MLA’s office in Brussels promotes this theme at every opportunity. Differentiating Australian product from our competitors and positioning Australia as the preferred supplier of red meat are the key underlying strategies in the European and Russian markets.
Access
Australia’s access to the EU is restricted by an import quota regime, effectively constraining volumes to 7,150 tonnes for High Quality Beef and 18,786 tonnes for lamb, mutton and goatmeat. Above quota exports are limited as a result of extremely high tariffs. Australian product faces a similar situation in the Russian market, in which an import quota for frozen and chilled beef exists.
Building Awareness
In line with this restricted access, MLA’s marketing activities in the EU and Russia focus on targeted foodservice and retail promotions in conjunction with Australian red meat suppliers. The aim is to build awareness of the quality of our products in order to leverage our quest for improved market access.
With the majority of Australia’s quota in the EU being used to service customers in the United Kingdom, MLA assists this trade by identifying the product at the retail level via point of sale marketing and product recognition activities.
In Russia, cutting seminars have been held with the purpose educating the Russian foodservice and selected retail segments on the attributes of Australian red meat quality, product value-adding and food safety systems.
Trade shows
MLA participates at targeted food trade shows in Europe and Russia in conjunction with Australian red meat exporters in Moscow, Germany and France. Recently 16 Australian red meat processors and exporters participated at ANUGA 2009, the world’s leading food and beverage trade fair in Cologne, Germany. Attracting international visitors beyond Europe, ANUGA provided the Australian industry with the opportunity to showcase product to international importers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers, potentially accessing new markets and generating new orders for Australian red meat.
This builds on MLA’s participation at two trade shows in Moscow over the past 12 months, such as World Food Moscow and Prodexpo, which have generated a number of new business opportunities.
MLA Russia representative office
As one of the largest and fastest growing beef markets, Russia offers good prospects for trade growth in the high-end foodservice and retail sectors. It has enormous potential to become another valuable market for Australian red meat. For that reason, MLA has a trade representative office based in Moscow.
Russian consumers are currently enjoying a rise in disposable income as a result of the high economic growth experienced in recent years. This has resulted in an increasing demand for high quality beef and lamb, especially in the hotel and restaurant segments. Australia is also a reliable supplier of manufacturing beef for the rapidly growing Russian processing sector, which proved to be an outstanding market in 2008, with almost 70,000 tonnes of beef shipped to this market.
The objective of this office is to further raise the awareness and understanding of Australian product among Russian red meat trade through trade shows, seminars, forums, trade missions and other marketing activities.
More information
Contact the respective regional offices:
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