Exports poised to tip records

Australian red meat exports remained at a firm pace over September, with beef, lamb, mutton and goatmeat exports all on track for record export volumes.

Goatmeat

Exports of goatmeat rose 43% year-on-year in September to 4,765 tonnes. This is the highest monthly figure on record and continues the strong run of goat exports in 2024. The United States remained the largest market for Australian goatmeat in 2024, with exports rising 120% year-on-year to 2,493 tonnes.

So far this year, Australia has exported 36,232 tonnes of goatmeat. This is notable as 2024 has been the biggest year for goatmeat exports on record, with three months of the year remaining; for reference, in 2014 (the previous record year), exports over the 12-month calendar year totalled 35,780 tonnes.

Beef

Beef exports rose 16% year-on-year to 114,046 tonnes in September.

The largest market over the month was the United States (US), where exports lifted 52% year-on-year to 37,218 tonnes. The ongoing decline in US cow slaughter saw a significant lift in lean trimmings, but there was also a notable 62% year-on-year increase in grainfed exports to 1,482 tonnes.

Exports to China declined 15% year-on-year to 16,161 tonnes. Despite the decline year-on-year, Australian exports remain well above long-term averages, and exports have now reached the tariff quota limit under ChAFTA.

Export volumes have been consistently strong over the past three months. Quarterly beef export volumes totalled 365,842 tonnes, the largest quarterly volume on record. Additionally, year-to-date exports are less than 1% below 2015 numbers, which is the largest export year on record. The first half of the year saw exports well below 2015 levels, but since July, exports have been running at record levels. If this pace continues, 2024 will be the largest year in volume terms on record.

Lamb and mutton

Lamb exports eased by 13% year-on-year to 27,363 tonnes, while mutton exports rose 33% year-on-year to 21,821 tonnes. Both figures are in line with trends seen in the weekly slaughter numbers; lamb kill numbers are down an average of 11% over the month and sheep slaughter is up an average of 27%.

The United States was the largest market for lamb, while China remained the largest market for mutton. The largest increase across both lamb and mutton exports was to the Middle east and North Africa (MENA) region, following a common trend for 2024. Lamb exports to MENA rose 9% year-on-year to 7,298 tonnes, while mutton exports rose 43% to 4,343 tonnes.

Year-to-date lamb and mutton exports are currently the highest on record by a large margin. Despite the seasonal easing in lamb slaughter, 2024 lamb and mutton slaughter volumes are both currently on track to be the highest on record.

Attribute content to: Tim Jackson, MLA Global Supply Analyst