Demand for premium Australian beef exports remains strong in the Middle East

Australia has been a major and consistent supplier of red meat to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for decades. While Australian exports to the region have previously skewed towards live sheep, frozen mutton and chilled carcase, the last 10 years has seen a significant increase in the volume of boxed beef. In fact, beef has been the fastest growing export among all red meat and livestock categories over the past decade. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia markets have both been among Australia’s top 20 most valuable beef export markets consistently for the past eight years. Traditionally, MENA consumers’ access to domestic beef was predominantly lean product coming out of the local dairy industry – hence, local beef dishes tend to use slow, wet and dry cooking methods and heavy spicing. To meet growing consumption demand, the region’s beef import volumes have been dominated by India and Brazil, particularly in what had previously been relatively ...