Record goat meat exports in 2024

Goat might not be a glamour protein but its exports beat its previous best by 40 per cent last year. We break down the numbers.

Goat meat exports have broken through new ground with last year’s figures beating the previous high by more than 40 per cent.

In 2024, Australia exported more than 51,000 tonnes of goat meat, compared to the previous best of 35,778 tonnes in 2014.

And while Australia is a minnow in terms of global goat meat production, it is the biggest exporter in the world for the protein category.

Meat and Livestock Australia market insights analyst Emiliano Diaz said the Australian goat meat industry had a stellar year.

“Underpinning the record export volumes achieved in 2024 was a mammoth increase in production,” Mr Diaz said.

“From January to September, the most recent data available, 2.55 million goats were processed, a 23 per cent increase in slaughter compared to the same period in 2023.”

And given the early running, it meant in the first nine months of 2024, Australia was already breaking records in terms of annual goat slaughter by the end of September.

More goats have been processed in 2024 thanks to extra abattoir capacity.

The lift in production was a result of better weather conditions in regions where goats were produced, and the ability to process more animals as abattoirs were either re-opened or expanded.

Mr Diaz said this had resulted in an average of 58,000 goats being processed weekly last year, compared to 40,000 in 2023.

“This production increase has been witnessed across the board, with all key production states increasing slaughter year-on-year,” Mr Diaz said.

And while NSW and Queensland feature as goat producers, it was Victoria that remained the hub for processing, with 44 per cent of all slaughter, with Queensland (27 per cent) and NSW (26 per cent) taking the next biggest shares.

The United States remains Australia’s biggest customer for goat meat.

The United States is Australia’s largest customer for goat meat, and took almost 28,000 tonnes last year, followed by Korea (8639 tonnes) and China (5161 tonnes).

“The majority of exported goat meat continues to be frozen, either as a whole carcase or a six-way split, with a mix of skin-on and skin-off depending on the market,” Mr Diaz said.

And he said the lift in processing capacity for goats specifically had set “a new normal” for the industry.

“There continues to be a strong appetite for Australian goat meat from international markets, demonstrating the ability to absorb the increased supply,” Mr Diaz said.

“If prices and the global trade environment remain stable, the Australian industry is well-placed to leverage the quality of Australian goat meat to meet customer and consumer needs in the future.”