Key points:
Lamb exports grew 21% year-on-year (YoY) to 31,779 tonnes, the highest on record.
Beef exports rose by 11% YoY to 102,352 tonnes, while mutton exports rose by 29% YoY to 15,856 tonnes.
China was the largest market for Australian red meat exports in August, taking in 37,528 tonnes.
31,779 tonnes of Australian lamb were exported in August, 21% more than August 2022 and the highest monthly export volume on record. This was the most eye-catching figure in the August export figures but sits alongside strong export growth in all categories: beef exports were at their highest since 2019, mutton exports increased by 29% YoY and goat exports rose by 22% to 2,855 tonnes, the strongest August since 2014.
Lamb
The largest market for Australian lamb in August was China, where exports rose by 47% YoY to 7,310 tonnes. At the same time, exports to the United States eased by 10% YoY to 6,397 tonnes, remaining the second largest lamb export market, as it has all year.
Substantial growth occurred in exports to the UK, where YoY volumes rose by 174% to 1,045 tonnes. While still relatively small, the substantial increase suggests that exporters are taking advantage of opportunities presented by the enactment of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement.
Lamb exports have already totalled 205,111 tonnes this year, seeing a 10% increase to the same period in 2022, a year in which exports hit a historic high. The increase in exports suggests that Australia is set to break lamb export records again.
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