Austrade's Global Push Is Paying Off for Australian Sheepmeat

Kevin Norman shares how Australia's global sheepmeat marketing effort is turning into real export growth

Kevin Norman presenting at LambEx26

One of the standout Trade Hall presentations at LambEx26 came from Kevin Norman, Senior Global Engagement Manager, Austrade, who shared the encouraging progress of the Sheepmeat Export Growth Program, a government funded push to build global demand for Australian lamb and sheepmeat as live sheep exports by sea wind down ahead of the 1 May 2028 deadline.

Kevin's message was clear. Global appetite for Australian lamb and sheepmeat is strong, the promotional work of the past two years is already showing up in the export numbers, and there is a genuine opportunity for the sheep industry to keep building on this momentum.

A coordinated push across 66 global offices

Austrade teams, working across many of its 66 offices worldwide, have partnered with DAFF, Meat & Livestock Australia, state governments and Australian exporters to run a full calendar of promotional activity. Highlights from the past year include the Aussie Lamb Masterclass at India's School of Hospitality, retail activations at Annam Gourmet stores across Vietnam, the Yakiniku Business Fair in Osaka, a red meat roadshow through Chongqing and Zhengzhou, and a strong presence at CIIE, Gulfood and IFE London.

The numbers are moving

Australian global sheepmeat exports have grown from $4.75 billion in FY23-24 to $5.62 billion in FY24-25, with a forecast of $5.9 billion for FY25-26. Kevin was careful to note that Austrade and its partners do not claim sole credit for this growth, but the trend lines up closely with the markets where promotion has been focused.

Some of the standout market results for 2024-25 include India, up more than 600%, Vietnam up 390%, the UK up 90%, Malaysia up 50%, the USA up 28% and Middle East and North Africa up 26%. Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines each grew by more than 15%.

Perhaps the most encouraging signal for the industry is where the growth is coming from. Markets with little sheepmeat eating tradition where lamb has historically been a niche protein, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, are all increasing consumption. At the same time, long established markets such as the USA, UAE, Japan and South Korea are all buying more too, meaning the growth is broad based rather than a single market spike.

Building on the momentum

Kevin’s closing message to LambEx delegates was one of opportunity. With global consumers increasingly recognising the quality, versatility and sustainability of Australian sheepmeat and a full Austrade 26-27 promotional calendar planned across the world, Kevin reinforced that there is a significant opportunity for producers and the broader supply chain to continue building on this momentum.

Media Enquiries:

Lauren Watt

Chief Executive Officer

0417 330 192

ceo@lambex.org.au