Diversify or die: The pivotal moments that have driven beef exporting in Australia

Australia exported a record $11 billion plus worth of beef last year and it's likely that record will again be broken this year. Beef exporters now have more than 50 countries on their books as customers. The pathway to this point has been windy, riddled with plenty of hurdles but also speckled with incredible opportunities that were often unforeseen. Those who were at the party when any one of the many pivotal moments that changed the face of Australian beef exporting happened say there is not one single event that set the scene for where the exporting sector stands today. Rather it was a coalition - of people, events, crises and fortuitous circumstances. When the United States first called, chasing frozen beef for their hamburger patties; when Britain joined the European common market and dumped nasty quotas on Australia; when the beef price crashed in the 1970s; when competitor beef producers were sunk by disease outbreaks and even the more recent Brexit and the free trade deal ...