Will 2025 be a record-breaking year for exports?

06 Nov 2025

Key points

Both beef and goatmeat export records are likely to be broken in 2025.
Beef exports to Japan have surged due to low domestic supply coupled with strong demand.
Sheepmeat exports to China have eased, returning to long-term trends.

Beef

Exports of Australian beef rose 7% from October 2024 figures to 139,278 tonnes. This total is both the largest October on record and the second largest month on record.

The United States (US) remained the largest market over the month at 41,563 tonnes − down 8% from October 2024. Japan was the second biggest market for the month, with exports rising 79% year-on-year (YoY) to 26,883 tonnes. Beef inventory levels in Japan have been trending lower over the past few months. This lack of domestic supply, coupled with strong demand in the Japanese market, has driven growth for Australian beef exports.

It is highly likely 2025 will be the largest year on record for beef exports. Year-to-date exports currently sit at 1.27 million tonnes. With two months of the year remaining, that’s only 77,000 tonnes behind the 2024 calendar year total – the previous record.

Lamb and mutton

Exports of lamb fell 8% YoY to 24,667 tonnes in October, while mutton exports fell 33% YoY, mirroring the lower slaughter numbers seen over September and October in the National Livestock Reporting Service (NLRS) slaughter report.

Lamb exports to the US fell 13% YoY to 5,779 tonnes but it remains the month’s largest market. Exports to the United Arab Emirates fell 11% YoY to 2,385 tonnes but rises were seen in South Korea (+31%) and the United Kingdom (+9%).

Mainland China lamb exports rose 33% YoY to 4,997 tonnes, while mutton exports eased 77% YoY to 3,337 tonnes. These figures were still enough to make China the second largest lamb market and the largest mutton market. They also, however, return China sheepmeat exports closer to long-term trends, after the very high mutton volumes seen in the second half of 2024.

So far in 2025, Australia has exported 289,727 tonnes of lamb and 173,602 tonnes of mutton. These figures are still well above historic norms but mean 2025 is likely to be the second or third largest year for Australian sheepmeat exports.

Goatmeat

A total of 5,827 tonnes of goatmeat was exported in October − 1% above October 2024 figures and the second largest month on record.

Exports to the US lifted 14% YoY to 3,232 tonnes, also rising in Korea (+15%) and Canada (+93%) YoY. Exports to mainland China fell 67% YoY to 283 tonnes but were still up from September’s 144 tonnes.

Over the first ten months of the year, goatmeat exports totalled 48,745 tonnes. This is 16% higher than the same period in 2024 and only 2,744 tonnes below last year’s whole-year total. As such, 2025 will likely be a record year for goatmeat exports.

Attribute content to Tim Jackson, MLA Global Supply Analyst

Information is correct at the time of publication on 7 November 2025.

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