Global markets export wrap

Australia exported 124,698 tonnes of red meat in September 2022, down 16% from August and down 6% from September 2021. Beef exports fell 12% year-on-year, while lamb exports rose 15%, mutton exports fell 9% and goat exports rose 23%. So far in 2022, Australia has exported 1,082,994 tonnes of red meat overall, 1% less than the first nine months of 2021.

Beef

70,296 tonnes of beef were exported in September, 12% less than the year prior. That drop was mostly seen among chilled exports, which fell by 29% to 16,473 tonnes, while frozen exports fell by 5% to 53,823 tonnes. This means that chilled beef made up 23% of beef exports in September – a slight increase from August, but well below the 2021 average of 30%.

Among Australia’s largest beef markets, exports fell sharply in Japan and the USA, held steady on South Korea, and rose in China. 

Australia exported 15,791 tonnes of beef to Japan in September, down 26% year on year. This decline was consistent across different categories, and most product types dropped in volume over the month.

Exports to the United States fell by a reported 44% to 8,589 tonnes. This figure is exaggerated by the rollout of new export certification software in the United States, which caused delays in processing data and meant that exports in the final week of September were not included in the total figures.

Exports to South Korea held firm at 13,635 tonnes, but the product mix changed slightly as grassfed beef exports rose by 7% from last year, while grainfed exports fell by 8%.

A similar dynamic emerged in mainland China, where grainfed exports fell by 5% year-on-year to 5,945 tonnes, even as overall exports rose 20% to 14,917 tonnes. The 45% year-on-year rise in grassfed exports thus drove the overall volume change.

So far in 2022, Australia has exported 635,802 tonnes of beef, 4% less than the first nine months of 2021.

Lamb

Australia exported 25,026 tonnes of lamb in September, down 4% from August but up 15% year-on year. Similarly to beef, frozen exports rose 22% year-on-year to 18,246 tonnes, while chilled exports fell 2% to 6,780 tonnes. So far in 2022, Australia has exported 212,032 tonnes of lamb, 5% more than the first nine months of 2021.

The USA remained the largest market for Australian lamb, with exports increasing 18% year-on-year to 6,794 tonnes. Chilled exports rose 1% to 3,117 tonnes, while frozen exports rose by 37% to 3,678 tonnes.

Among large markets, the largest volume changes were seen in South Korea and Papua New Guinea. Lamb exports to South Korea rose by 149% year on year to 2,194 tonnes, while exports to Papua New Guinea rose 110% to 2,320 tonnes. Strong lamb exports to South Korea and Papua New Guinea throughout 2022 have made them the third and fourth largest lamb export markets, further contributing to the diverse export base of Australian lamb.

Mutton

Australia exported 12,622 tonnes of Mutton in September, 3% higher than August and 9% less than September 2021. China remained the largest market, as exports grew by 8% to 5,875 tonnes. Malaysia and the USA were the other major markets for Australian mutton in September, and both saw declines in volume; in Malaysia, exports fell 24% year-on-year to 1,43 tonnes, while in the USAA exports fell by 56% to 1,277 tonnes.

So far in 2022, Australia has exported 101,125 tonnes of mutton, 9% higher than the first nine months of 2021.

Goat

Australia exported 2,569 tonnes of goat in September, 10% higher than August and 23% higher than September 2021. Exports to the United States were 4% lower year-on-year at 1,356 tonnes, while exports to South Korea rose 235% to 541 tonnes. So far in 2022, Australia has exported 17,055 tonnes of goat, 35% higher than the first nine months of 2021 and the largest year-to-date volume figure since 2018.