Australian Red Meat Exports Hit New Records

Australia’s red meat exporters are hitting record highs, with emerging markets accounting for unprecedented demand for locally processed beef and lamb.

Alongside an increase in premium beef and lamb exports to the United Kingdom in just the first year of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (UK FTA), latest figures indicate the Australian meat export market is in robust health.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, Murray Watt, said the uptick in exports commencing in financial year 22/23 is a reflection of what is already widely known – that Australian meat is a hot commodity.

“All across Southeast Asia we’ve seen new records set for sheep meat and beef exports.”

“We’ve exported 88 million tonnes of sheepmeat to China, 20 million tonnes to Malaysia, 24 million tonnes of lamb to South Korea, and 20 million tonnes to Papua New Guinea. These are all the highest amounts we have ever exported to these countries” Minister Watt said.  

“Meanwhile, we’ve exported over $1 million worth of sheepmeat to India for the first time ever since the elimination of India’s 30% tariff on sheepmeat imports. On top of this, we’ve exported 79 million tonnes of beef to Indonesia. These are incredible figures.”  

“We’re not just rewriting records in Asia though – these numbers accompany great growth in the United Kingdom.”

“On May 31 we celebrated the first anniversary of the UK FTA. In the first nine months of this FTA beef export volumes are 350% higher than they were in the nine months before, while lamb export volumes are up 52%.”

“More British households are sitting down to meals of Australian beef and lamb than any time in recent history. This is something all Australians can be proud of.”

These figures show a strong future for exports of processed meat, and with the sector booming, our live sheep export phase out will help it continue to grow.

They also come alongside this week’s trade breakthrough with China, where suspensions were lifted for five Australian beef processing facilities.

Elsewhere, the latest livestock products data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that last quarter, Australia had the highest lamb slaughter numbers on record, at 6,935,700 head.

The data also shows that the January-March quarter broke production records for lamb at 167,263 tonnes, up 8% on last quarter and 48% last year.

“These figures send a clear and obvious sign that our meat processing sector is gearing up to meet increased international demand,” said Minister Watt.

“Australian meat is hugely desired for its quality, its health, its sustainability and its flavour. That’s why so many countries are stocking our product, and why demand for it continues to grow.”

“It’s a magnificent testament to the hard work and skill of Australian red meat producers and processors.”