Exports for the month totalled 84,451 tonnes swt, with the fall arising especially from:

• Russia put a brake on Australian shipments, following credit and payment issues to that market.

• Japan and Korea recorded year-on-year declines.

• US imports of Australian beef, however, surged by 32pc - their highest monthly level in 18 months, to 29,174 tonnes swt.

Details for November were:

• Russia: After reaching over 71,000 tonnes swt of Australian beef during the first 10 months of 2008, including a record 17,500 tonnes swt during May, shipments during November totalled just 713 tonnes.

While there is little prospect of major volumes being sent to Russia during December, it will still finish 2008 as Australia’s fourth largest beef market, easily surpassing Indonesia and Taiwan.

• Japan: Australian beef exports fell by 26pc year-on-year during November, to 26,893 tonnes swt – 23pc below the November average for the past five years.

Shipments for the month were impacted by tighter Australian supplies, while the deteriorating economic conditions in Japan continued to cast a shadow over consumer demand.

• Korea: While shipments to Korea for November fell 17pc year-on-year, to 13,935 tonnes swt, much of the decline was due to the record shipments in November last year.

• US: The significantly lower $A assisted the surge in shipments to the US, as did the increased availability of export beef following the downturn in shipments to Russia and, to a lessor extent, Japan.

• Other markets: Demand remained strong in South East Asia, with exports for November to Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong increasing by 12pc, 131pc and 26pc, respectively, on the same period last year.

Similarly, volumes to Taiwan jumped 22pc year-on-year, to 2,426 tonnes swt, while shipments to China surged to 583 tonnes swt – a record monthly total.