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Australian lamb and mutton exports hit record levels

Sheep Central, August 13, 2015

Exports meat shipping tradeAUSTRALIAN lamb and mutton exports reached record levels in 2014-15, Meat and Livestock Australia has reported.

Lamb shipments were valued at a record $1.8 billion in 2014-15 after shipments increased to the United States, Japan and the Middle East.

Increased mutton shipments to the Middle East, Malaysia and the US boosted the value of the sheep meat exports to a record $825.7 million.

Lamb exports value increases 16pc

Meat and Livestock Australia said the value of lamb exports in the last financial year was 16 percent higher than last year and 55pc higher than the five-year average.

Export values to the US surged to $532.6 million in 2014-15, up 34pc year-on-year and 63pc higher than the five-year average.

Demand from the Middle East was strong during 2014-15, with the value of shipments to the UAE at $125.4 million up 18pc on the previous year. There was a 53pc lift in the shipments’ value to Jordan at $89.8 million. The value of lamb exports to Japan climbed 14pc on year-ago levels to $85.9 million.

MLA said shipments to China were valued at $191.3 million, 12pc lower than the previous year, but still historically high; 79pc above the five-year-average.

Shipments to the UK generated $76.7 million during 2014-15, back 8pc year-on-year, although still 20pc higher than the five-year average.

Mutton export values up 7pc

Australian mutton export values increased 7pc in 2014-15 to the new fiscal year record value of $825.7 million, MLA said.

Middle Eastern markets continued to generate increasing returns, with values to Saudi Arabia up 48pc to $85.2 million and up 34pc to $60.4 million for the UAE.

Mutton exports to Malaysia were valued at $80.1 million – up 32pc on the previous year, MLA said.

The value of mutton shipments to the US surged 54pc year-on-year, reaching $77.9 million in 2014-15.

Mutton exports to China declined 26pc year-on-year, to $168.2 million, but this was still almost double the five-year average.

Source: MLA.

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