Australian lamb exports: Shock as Qatar government cancels program

The Australian livestock industry has been left scratching its head over the sudden decision to cancel a successful lamb export program. Here’s what we know.

A shock announcement by the Qatari government has stunned the Australian lamb industry.

NEWS of the Qatari government’s sudden cancellation of their Australian lamb import subsidy program has shocked the industry.

And there’s still no clear cut reason why the successful program, slated to conclude in 2023, will wrap up at the end of 2020.

The program between the two nations saw Qatar’s share of Australian lamb exports rise from 4.3 per cent in 2014 to 7.5 per cent this year.

Thomas Elders Markets analyst Matt Dalgleish said Qatar was the third highest destination for Australian lamb, behind China and the US.

“It’s been a good program,” Mr Dalgleish said.

“There was an immediate increase (in lamb imports) then it continued to grow.”

Mr Dalgleish said there has been no clarity from the Qatari government as to why the subsidy program was cancelled abruptly.

“I can’t understand any reason why they’ve changed it so abruptly,” Mr Dalgleish said.

“It could just be a cost cutting measure … the timing of it isn’t idea, just given the tensions with other countries and commodities. There are a swag of tensions with China.”

Mr Dalgleish said it would take an official Qatari government statement to squash industry rumours as to why the program has been cut short.

“Given they’ve ended it this year, as opposed to 2023 which is a reasonable enough period time to have ended it … if they provided a legitimate reason rather than not saying anything, that just leaves a vacuum of information to be filled with speculation,” Mr Dalgleish said.

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