MEAT and Livestock Australia will stick to its core activities despite the slump in beef prices, according to managing director David Palmer.

Mr Palmer was responding this week to criticism from the Australian Beef Association.

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"I would be the first to admit that we're going through a disappointing slump in cattle prices," Mr Palmer said.

"There is a lot of disquiet at the moment from some quarters and this disquiet finds fertile ground when prices and viability, particularly in beef, are under pressure."

Mr Palmer said this slump was due to a run of poor seasons, the lack of discretionary spending in Australia's premier markets of Japan and the US, and the strong Australian dollar.

"I guess we can discuss these phenomena for ages, but we (MLA) must stick to our core responsibilities," he said.

These included driving access to market, promotion and awareness in both domestic and overseas markets, and a research program to boost on-farm and off-farm productivity.

"There have been some tremendous results in gaining market access in recent times," Mr Palmer said, referring to the new 448,000 tonne Russian global beef quota and the additional 20,000 tonne European quota for beef free of growth promotants.

"I, along with all of us, would love to have an advertising program that was as powerful and as fiercely compelling for beef as what Sam Kekovich has done for lamb," Mr Palmer said.

He said it was difficult to compare the fortunes of beef and lamb industries, with the world experiencing a shortage of lamb and mutton.

"Australia and New Zealand are the two dominant lamb suppliers," Mr Palmer said.

"China has a lamb industry but it is all consumed domestically, as is the European production.

"New Zealand lamb production is contracting but has still a very big focus on the UK market and a monstrous quota which it has to work hard to fill, whereas Australia has had a good exposure into North America."

Mr Palmer said the demographics of the North American market, a "college-educated north-eastern consumer with income above $70,000", had remained largely recession proof.

"In addition there are the Middle Eastern Islamic communities which have also been recession proof, particularly the demographics who we are selling to," he said.

"They have remained a strong loyal market and pay a good price."

Mr Palmer said the success of lamb market was also due to quality of the product developed over the last 15-20 years.