Goat prices highest on record
04 January 2016
The goat market is awash with positivity at present with eastern states over-the-hooks export goat prices reaching 420¢/kg cwt in April, as reported by MLA’s National Livestock Reporting Service (NLRS).
Goat prices have gradually increased to this level over the last couple of months and are now at their highest price since the NLRS began reporting in 2003.
In an industry heavily influenced by climatic conditions, the gradual and persistent increase in prices might be what it takes to convince more producers to enter the growing market for goatmeat.
The average weekly goat slaughter in the eastern states during the March quarter, reported by MLA’s NLRS, lifted 8% year-on-year, to 35,617 head, with the decrease in Victoria balanced out by a larger turnoff in the north.
Average weekly Victorian goat slaughter for the first three months of the year was down 20% to 8,984 head and levels in SA were 5% higher at 7,900 head. Throughput in Queensland lifted 35% to 16,635 head, while average weekly slaughter in NSW gained 10% year-on-year to 2,097 head.
Goatmeat exports during the March quarter totalled 8,409 tonnes swt, up 5% year-on-year. Exports to the US accounted for 59% of total shipments during the quarter and increased 16% year-on-year to 4,978 tonnes swt, with volumes to the US in March reaching an all-time record of 2,365 tonnes swt. Volumes to Taiwan eased 11% to 1,294 tonnes swt, while shipments to the Caribbean remained steady at 553 tonnes swt. Goatmeat to Korea continued to rise, more than doubling on last year’s level and totalling 541 tonnes swt.
Further information
The latest goat industry summary has now been published and includes all the latest statistics from 2014. Read the full report.
