Year to date goat exports greatest of all time

It’s the unsung part of the red meat industry but goat exports are booming. And one country is showing just how keen it is for the protein.

Australian goat meat exports have already broken records this year, with the sector hitting its straps as the world’s biggest player.

For the year to date to May, goat meat exports have risen 64 per cent compared with the same period last year, to 14,719 tonnes.

As with other Australian red meats like beef and lamb, it’s the United States dominating competition.

And analysts believe the good season across much of the heartland of goat production and harvesting in pastoral areas of NSW could see the early record-breaking run of goat kills continue throughout the year.

Goat export volumes hit a record for the year to date as demand grows.

Meat and Livestock Australia global supply analyst Tim Jackson said goat exports were the highest on record for the first four months of 2024. The previous best was 12,957 tonnes in 2017.

“The US is the largest market for Australian goat exports, with year-to-date volumes rising 162 per cent year-on-year to 8384 tonnes,” Mr Jackson said.

In a snapshot of the goat market released by MLA this month, figures showed Australia posted its second highest export volume ever in 2023, at almost 34,000 tonnes, worth $235 million. This was 55 per cent higher than 2022.

MLA category and market insights analyst Emilliano Diaz said a surge in production coupled with competitive prices supported export growth.

Aside from the US, buyers for Australian goat meat last year included:

– China took 20 per cent of Australian exports, with 6757 tonnes;

– South Korea, up 19 per cent year-on-year to 5993 tonnes;

– Trinidad and Tobago imported 1697 tonnes to be the fourth largest market for Australian goat meat.

Mr Diaz said the Australian goat industry had seen “a remarkable turnaround since 2020”. “After facing the lowest production volumes in over two decades due to prolonged drought conditions, the sector saw a rapid expansion thanks to more favourable weather and the inherent short breeding cycle of goats,” he said.

“This recovery was reflected in a 136 per cent increase in production volume since 2020, culminating in a record-breaking year in 2023.”

Export demand for goat meat is pushing volumes sold to record levels.

And while the average carcass weight was down, the increased kill – up 41 per cent to 2.36 million – pushed export volumes up.

While on a global scale Australia is not one of the biggest goat producers, it is the largest exporter with 2022 figures showing a 35 per cent share by volume and a 44 per cent share of export value.