2024 was a record-breaking year for red meat exports, according to Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).

In 2024, Australia exported 2.24 million tonnes of red meat to 104 countries, representing the largest volume of red meat ever exported.

The United States is the largest importer of Australian goat meat, and last year 51,488 tonnes in total were sold. This breaks the previous record of 35,778 tonnes, set in 2014.

MLA says 2.55 million goats were slaughtered in the period between January to September 2024, and increase of 23 per cent from the same time in 2023.

At the peak, more than 70,000 head were processed each week in 2024.

Behind the US. Korea ranked second in terms of the largest buyers of Australian goat meat with China rounding out the top three. The fourth and fifth biggest markets were Canada and Taiwan.

The majority of exported goat meat continues to be shipped frozen, either as a whole carcass or a six-way split, with a mix of skin-on and skin-off depending on the market.

Beef exports reached 1.34 million tonnes, 22 per cent higher than 2023 exports and four per cent higher than the previous record of 1.29 million tonnes set in 2014.

The strongest growth was seen in the United States and Southeast Asia.

Australian exports of lamb exports rose to 359,299 tonnes, 10 per cent higher than the previous record set in 2023.

Exports to the United Kingdom rose 44 per cent thanks to a new Australian-United Kingdom free trade agreement.

More than 255,000 tonnes of mutton was exported last year, which is 22 per cent higher than the previous record set in 2023.

Once again, China was the largest market for Australian mutton, followed by Malaysia and the United States.

MLA says overall, sheepmeat exports rose 15 per cent from 2023 to 614,396 tonnes, which is the highest sheep meat export figure from any single country on record.