Australian red meat industry records strong growth in 2024, report shows
Sector posts record exports and production as demand rises globally
AUSTRALIA – Australia’s red meat and livestock industry has entered 2025 from a strong position, achieving record growth in production and exports despite tough seasonal conditions, according to Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) latest State of the Industry Report.
The report outlines that 2024 was a defining year for the sector, with beef, sheepmeat and goatmeat production reaching record levels even as parts of southern Australia continued to experience challenging weather conditions.
Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins said the results reflect the importance of the red meat sector to the Australian economy and its reputation as a key global protein supplier.
She noted that while the government continues to focus on policy and trade settings, partnerships with industry have enabled the expansion of market access in key destinations such as the United States, China, Indonesia, Peru, Malaysia and Vietnam.
According to the report, these efforts helped deliver a record year for exports, which increased by 3.2% to reach US$12.7 billion in 2024.
Record Export Volumes
Beef exports climbed 24% to 1.34 million tonnes shipped weight, while lamb exports rose 10% to 359,299 tonnes, setting a new all-time high.
Mutton exports grew by 21.6% to 255,090 tonnes, and goatmeat exports surged 51.9% to 51,489 tonnes over the same period.
Australia retained its place as the world’s largest exporter of sheepmeat and goatmeat and remained the second-largest beef exporter after Brazil.
Live cattle exports totalled 766,044 head, up 13% from 2023, with Indonesia accounting for 70% of the trade, followed by Vietnam and China.
However, live sheep exports declined by 33% to 433,078 head, with Jordan overtaking Kuwait as the largest destination after a significant drop in shipments to the Gulf market.
MLA Managing Director Michael Crowley said the strong results reflect the industry’s ability to adapt to market conditions and meet international demand for high-quality red meat.
Domestic Demand and Employment
The report shows that Australians continue to be among the world’s highest consumers of red meat, averaging 22.4 kilograms of beef and 7 kilograms of sheepmeat per person in 2024, well above global averages.
MLA data also indicates that 92% of households purchased beef and 72% bought lamb during the year, showing steady domestic demand.
Overall, the red meat and livestock sector generated turnover worth US$50.21 billion in 2023–24, accounting for 1.5% of Australia’s total industry turnover.
While turnover dropped by 10.3% due to price pressures, the processing segment increased its output by 5.4%.
The industry directly employed about 197,500 people and supported a further 264,700 in related businesses, bringing total employment to around 462,000.
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