Aussie red meat exports to UK see 500% increase since FTA

The Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement came into effect on 31 May 2023. Since then, Australia has exported an estimated 4,144 tonnes of beef and just over 16,000 tonnes of sheep meat into the UK.

This accounts for 2% of the total red meat exported globally from Australia each year, with the UK dwarfed by other markets including the US, Japan and the Middle East.

While only a smart fraction of Aussie exports, the UK is an important market for premium products, including Wagyu beef and grain-fed beef.

Stephen Edwards, business manager for Meat & Livestock Australia, the organisation that uses the Aussie Beef & Lamb brand to promote Australian imports in the UK, said the country has seen “a lot of demand for prestige cuts and high-end cuts”.​

He added: “Where we’ve seen a steady increase in trade between the UK and Australia within the red meat sector, we’re very much where we would like to be one year into the Free Trade Agreement.​

“The UK needs to import around 30% of its red meat each year, and we’re making headway with servicing a small percentage of that import need, competing with products from Ireland, Argentina, Poland and France which continue to supply much larger quantities than Australia does.  ​

“Globally, the UK is still a relatively small market for us with the majority of our products heading for the US, Japan and the Middle East. To put it into context, we export around 269,000 tonnes to North America each year.​

“In terms of the products that are popular, grain fed beef is growing in traction in the UK as a more highly marbled type of beef with excellent taste and tenderness. Within our grain fed imports, brisket, silverside and topside have all proven popular with the UK audience. ​

“And Brits certainly love a leg of lamb which accounts for 80% of all chilled lamb imports from Australia, demonstrating how imports are driven by seasonality in British production, with November being the top month for lamb imports of this nature.”​

The market for Aussie red meat is predominately driven by foodservice and hospitality, but Edwards said the country is hoping to “make headway with retail in 2025” ​as it looks to educate retailers about the improvements it has made in terms of sustainability, alongside its “strict”​ food safety and animal welfare standards.

The Australia red meat industry has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2030 and is making strides towards this goal. Among some of its achievements has been a 78% reduction in net carbon emissions since 2005 across beef and sheep meat and some 81% of producers adopting practices to enhance soil water retention.

Meanwhile in other news, rumours have surfaced that Mars is looking to acquire US snack brand, ​​Kellanova, ​​which recently made its debut in the UK.​