Lamb exports reached a brand new month-to-month report in Could, beating out the earlier highest quantity, set in Could final 12 months, by simply 50 tonnes. This was greater than 25% above the five-year common for the month and introduced year-to-date ranges to 2% above the identical interval in 2024. The US remained Australia’s greatest lamb marketplace for the month and for 2025 thus far, with volumes rising 20% on the earlier month. Whereas the US consumption was 12% decrease than year-ago ranges, that comparability is to the report month, and the quantity was nonetheless 18% above the five-year common for the month.
China imported its largest quantity of Australian lamb in Could since September 2023, 9% greater than the five-year common for the month, and a bounce of 14% on April figures. This has taken their market share for the year-to-date to 22%, in comparison with simply 15% on the similar time in 2024. This comes on the again of the ten new Australian processors given entry to the Chinese language marketplace for the primary time in April.
A market that did take a report quantity of lamb in Could was Papua New Guinea, leaping 44% year-on-year and bringing their year-to-date determine 17% increased. Teamed with a greater than 500% improve in mutton imports for the month (albeit from a really low base), PNG’s whole sheepmeat consumption from Australia is up 25% for 2025. The UK market has additionally been booming, with mixed lamb and mutton volumes up 63% each for Could year-on-year, and for the January to Could interval. With lamb figures up practically 50% from the earlier month, Could was additionally a report consumption for the UK.
Mutton exports, whereas not in report territory, remained sturdy at 43% above the typical for Could, and are nonetheless monitoring at 1% above this time final 12 months for 2025 thus far. China had its smallest mutton import quantity from Australia for the 12 months thus far in Could, however stays the dominant market, up 13% for the year-to-date. Different key markets Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, noticed a big quantity improve, up 29% and 11% respectively year-on-year. Each nations now maintain 12% of the market share every.
