According to data from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), 193,509t swt of lamb was exported in the first 11 months of 2013, a 12% year-on-year increase.
The organisation said volumes had been bolstered by “huge slaughter rates” as the result of a build-up of stock over the past three years and drought in the eastern parts of the country. However, it added that the volumes were “primarily driven by supply”, with impressive growth in most major markets.
The Middle East was the biggest importer of Australian lamb this year, accounting for 28% of total exports. volumes to the Middle East were up 16% year-on-year to 54,924t swt. It added that Bahrain had emerged as the second-biggest lamb market in the region, with volumes to the country up 418% year-on-year, while shipments to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait also increased, by 20% and 42% respectively.
Shipments to Iran, Jordan and Qatar were down year-on-year, with Iran seeing the biggest reduction of 62%.
Asia also returned significant volume growth. Export volumes to Greater China were up 41% to 43,914t swt, with China shipments up 25% to 35,905t swt, and Hong Kong shipments up 112% to 6,436t swt. Exports to South East Asia were up 41%, with good growth in Malaysia and Vietnam.
The US remained the most valuable market for Australian lamb, taking the highest-value cuts, although volumes were up just 6% year-on-year in the 11 months to November 2013.
Volumes of lamb exported to Europe were down 8% year-on-year in the year to November as the result of a 6% drop in exports to the UK – which accounts for 76% of lamb exports to the region.