Australian lamb consumption dips but value holds firm

AUSTRALIANS ate slightly less lamb in 2022 than in the previous year and it cost them more, but it doesn’t seem to have affected lamb’s popularity. Meat & Livestock Australia figures released today show that despite a drop of about 5 percent in annual consumption volume over the past two years, consumer spending on lamb is up year-on-year and has lifted 13pc compared with pre-COVID. Lamb’s volume and value share of the fresh meat category has remained stable over the past three years and the meat has performed particularly well during the final quarter of 2022, with a volume sales increase of 3.9pc versus same time in 2021 and spending up 6.8pc. In 2022, the national retail lamb volume was 62.5 million kilograms, down 4.6pc on 2021, while the retail value of domestic sales was 1.14 billion, a rise of 0.2pc. The average retail price paid per kilogram of lamb went from $17.36/kg in 2021, to $18.26/kg in 2022, an increase of 5.2pc. MLA domestic marketing manager Graeme Yardy said ...