Australian red meat exports hit record highs in 2024: DAF

Aussie farmers have plenty to celebrate this Australia Day, with red meat exports notching fresh record highs across 2024.

Beef exports, a key commodity in the country’s $94bn agricultural, fisheries and forestry industry, hit 1.34 million tonnes in the year, a 24 per cent jump from 2023, data from the Department of Agriculture shows.

The figure also marks a 4 per cent increase on the previous record high of 1.29 million tonnes set in 2014.

Sheepmeat exports rose 15 per cent from 2023 to reach 614,396 tonnes, a record amount.

Mutton exports jumped 22 per cent, reaching 255,098 tonnes, and goatmeat shipments expanded to 51,489 tonnes, the highest figure on record.Altogether, red meat exports including beef, lamb, mutton and goat hit 2.2 million tonnes over the year.

The boom comes on the back of trade normalisation with China, a key export destination, and new free trade deals with the UK, India and the UAE.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the numbers showed consumers around the world trusted Australian food.

“Australia Day is the perfect time to celebrate the success of Australia’s red meat industry,” she said on Friday.

“Once again, these numbers reflect the standing of Australia’s red meat around the world.

“Our products are sought after because of their quality and their dependability. People trust Australian food.

“Labor understands that capitalising on this global demand requires co-operation between nations.

“That’s why we have worked so hard on strengthening trade relationships with our partners around the world.

“The stabilisation in relations with China, the new free trade agreements with the UAE, India and the UK and the relaxation of restrictions throughout Southeast Asia all indicate that our government has made major improvements in the way Australian producers, processors and exporters do business.”

The UAE deal, Australia’s most recent free trade agreement, eliminates tariffs on more than 99 per cent of all Australian products entering the Middle Eastern kingdom.

“This is a very good deal for Australian farmers and producers, including beef and sheep producers, with estimated tariff savings of $50m each year for our food and agricultural exports alone,” Trade Minister Don Farrell said on announcing the deal in September last year.