12 months-to-date complete sheep and lamb slaughter in keeping with weekly Meat & Livestock Australia stories is averaging 9% decrease year-on-year. On the east coast, that determine is 8% decrease, however in Western Australia, it’s 14% down, and 4% under the five-year-average. And the differential is coming nearly fully from sheep, with each the east and west common weekly lamb slaughter monitoring 2% under final yr. The mutton kill on the east coast is again 12%, whereas in WA it’s down 31% for the year-to-date in 2025. Whole 2025 sheep slaughter in WA was down 8%, however nonetheless at traditionally excessive ranges.
The newest replace from WA Division of Major Industries and Regional Improvement (DPIRD) had interstate transfers – sheep and lambs offered out of WA – at about 252,000 head from January to September 2025, which was 66% decrease year-on-year. Sheep alone had been down 82%. Poor seasonal situations within the jap states typically leads this determine to be decrease, nevertheless the DPIRD estimates the sheep flock in WA has fallen from 12.4 million in 2022 to as little as 8.6 million in July 2025.
With simply over two years till the dwell sheep export trade can be shut down in Australia, the figures present us the section out is already important. Whole dwell sheep exports for 2025 had been 33% decrease year-on-year, and greater than 50% under the five-year common. This common now encompasses solely years the place the northern hemisphere summer time commerce ban has been in place, that means it provides a extra correct depiction of the place numbers have been. The 2025 year-end determine was 15% decrease than the MLA forecast, and 4% decrease than the quantity forecast for 2026. Simply 68 sheep had been exported final month, in comparison with the five-year common of 49,353 head.
Our abroad sheep meat markets appear to have solely decreased in relation to provide up to now this yr, with January lamb exports down barely year-on-year, however nonetheless on the third highest stage on document. Australian lamb exports to China had been at their highest quantity since 2020 in January, whereas volumes to the UK hit a brand new document. Relative to these decrease slaughter figures, mutton exports fell under the five-year-average in January. Contrasting this, the Center East quantity was above 5000 tonnes, the best January quantity in a minimum of the previous 25 years, with the final quarter of 2025 the same story, doubtlessly reflecting the lower in dwell sheep.
