SHEEPMEAT COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA
SCA President Ian McColl ( right ) hosting a Japanese trade delegation on his property at Koorawatha , NSW
THE DAYS WHEN lamb was dismissed as a by-product of the wool industry have long gone . So is the era when Australian lamb was a commodity beset with inconsistency of supply and quality problems .
The industry is now worth $ 3.5- $ 4 billion a year , exporting to over 70 overseas destinations , and at the top end of the global sheepmeat market in terms of quality .
Lamb exports generated $ 1.31 billion in returns in 2013 , with a similar retail value being realised on the Australian domestic market . The vast majority of Australian mutton ( around 96 %) is also exported , worth around $ 630 million in 2013 . Today Australia is the largest exporter of mutton and live sheep , and the second largest exporter of lamb .
Sheepmeat Council of Australia CEO Dr Kat Ferme says , “ The sheepmeat industry has been the quiet achiever of Australian agriculture ,”
“ The industry continues to strive through planning and collaboration to be the leading supplier of lamb and sheepmeat
196 August 2014