January 10, 2006

Australian lamb gains popularity, hits record exports 2005

Australia's lamb exports climbed 25 percent last year to a record 140,000 tonnes worth A$800 million--also a high--thanks to growing popularity in countries like China, Japan, and the US, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

The US, Australia's largest lamb export market, made up 32 percent of all Australian lamb exports, importing nearly 41,000 tonnes of lamb in 2005--a 27-percent increase from the previous year's imports. The value of lamb exports to the US also rose to A$310 million in 2005, up from A$250 million the year before.

Despite the already high record export figures, the US market still has the potential to grow, said MLA chairman Don Heatley.

In China, Australian lamb exports rose 44 percent last year to 13,494 tonnes, making it Australia's second largest market for lamb after the US and the Middle East, which imported a record 14,050 tonnes of Australian lamb last year, a rise of 36 percent.

Lamb exports to Japan also rose a stunning 51 percent last year to a high of 11,000 tonnes, MLA said. The rise was supported by the opening of a slew of 'Genghis Khan' or 'Mongolian Lamb' restaurants across Japan, and by lamb's appearance in key retail chains.