Up to 80 per cent of beef from the company's Smithton plant on Tasmania's north-west coast is exported to Japan, Korea and the US.

Peter Greenham says markets are starting to open up for grass-fed beef, as the cost of grain-fed meat is pushed higher.

"I can see that the grass fed market, it's a market which probably is going to come back into it's own," he says.

"I feel that the grain costs are just that too much too high for Australia to complete with the US, and I can see grass-fed jap ox all being very good for the future.

Source: ABC Rural