Australian sheep meat dominates the world market

As Australian lamb meat production has reached record levels, exports have increased substantially, resulting in Australia accounting for more than 50% of global sheep meat exports in 2023 for the first time.The big increase of exports has affected competitors New Zealand, the second largest sheep exporting country with a decrease in its market share in China. Additionally, supply chain constraints have hampered exporters' ability to expand their share in other key markets. China, being the largest sheepmeat market by volume, saw a 24% increase in total imports in 2023, reaching 429,434 tons, according to the MLA. New Zealand's exports to China increased in 2023, but only by 10%. This meant that Kiwi sheep meat accounted for 50% of Chinese imports in 2023, which is a considerable figure but well below New Zealand's 57% market share in 2023. Instead, almost all of the increase of Chinese imports came from Australia, which increased its sales by 43%, up to 197,448 tons. This meant ...