Australian sheepmeat exports for 2024 have already been established as the largest volume on record despite a full month’s exports still to be accounted for.

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) reports that for the period January through to November 2024, some 331,037t of lamb and 229,312t of mutton have been exported. The figures are higher than any previous calendar year total.

While exports for 2024 are at record levels, the volume of lamb exported in November reduced 9% compared with 2023 levels to 27,183t.

In contrast, mutton exports increased by 42% year on year to reach 28,249t. The higher volume of mutton in the kill reflects lower producer sentiment following pressure on prices over the last 12 months.

However, there are signs that this may be changing following the recent improvement in farm gate prices.

Main markets

MLA reports that the US remains the largest market for lamb, with exports growing 10% compared with November 2023 and recorded at 6,774t. This once again reinforces the value of Ireland securing final access to the market.

Apart from the US, exports to China fell 14% to 4,372t, while exports to the United Arab Emirates reduced by 3% to 2,750t.

In excess of 50% of mutton exports were destined for the Chinese market, with volumes up 50% compared with last year to 15,526t.

The MLA report states: “Outside of China, strong volumes were seen in a wide range of markets; exports to Malaysia lifted 65% from last year to 2,695 tonnes, exports to the US lifted 55% to 1,932 tonnes and exports to Singapore lifted 33% to 1,267 tonnes.”

UK and Europe

Meanwhile exports to the UK and Europe Union nations have also increased significantly on 2023 volumes. Figures from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) shows that Australia has exported 10,998t of its 30,556t tariff-free A-UK FTA quota up to 29 November 2024, or approximately 36% of its allocation.

This compares to 26% of it lower quota of 14,726t in 2023. As can be seen in Table 1, Australia’s sheepmeat quota will rise to 75,000t at 0% tariff rate quota by 2032. It has also filled 11,000t of its UK quota under Australia’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) UK sheepmeat quota which totals 13,335t.

Australia also has a quota of 5,851t for the European Union market and it has filled 83% of its quota to-date in 2024. This is similar to 2023 where it filled 90% of its quota. The country has been pushing for a significantly higher tariff free quota for both sheepmeat and beef in negotiations which are now frozen on an Australia – Europe free-trade agreement.

Beef record

Australian exports are also likely to reach a new record level in 2024. There has been 1.216 million tonnes (Mt) of beef exported for the first 11 months of 2023.

This equates to a 25% increase on the first 11 months of 2023 and according to MLA global supply analyst Tim Jackson is only 70,834t short of the all-time calendar year record set in 2014.

Jackson states that given the low gap and level of slaughter over the last few weeks, it is very likely that Australian beef exports could set a new record.

Beef exports in November 2023 increased by 27% compared with November 2023 to reach 118,878t.

Similar to sheep, much of the lift was recorded in the US market, with exports rising 79% to 35,026t and accounting for 30% of overall export volumes.

Jackson reports that exports to north African markets were broadly steady: “The second-largest market throughout November was South Korea, with exports lifting 5% year on year to 19,001t.

"There was an ease in exports to Japan by 2% from last year to 17,515t and exports to China held steady from last year at 16,336t.”

Substantial growth was also seen in exports to southeast Asia. This includes a 50% year-on-year increase to Indonesia, while exports to the Philippines rose 2,432t and exports to Vietnam more than doubled to 2,021t.