Australia has officially broken the record for the highest volume of beef exported in a calendar year, with year-to-date exports reaching 1.398 million tonnes, up 15% year-on-year.

Internationally, Australia is responsible for almost half (48%) of goatmeat exports. That’s millions of consumers purchasing, consuming, and enjoying goatmeat from Australian shores.

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.

Australia’s feedlot sector held its momentum through the September quarter, with national capacity and grainfed exports both pushing toward new records. Even with a slight softening in numbers on feed, utilisation remains historically high − underscoring the sector’s central role in national beef production.

Final report

Over the past 12 months, nutritional food scientist Dr Anneline Padayachee has been diving deep into the live export industry, with her findings surprising her.

September exports of Australian beef rose 22% year-on-year (YoY) to 139,012 tonnes. This is the second-highest monthly export figure on record, resulting in the most recent quarter being the largest quarter for beef exports on record, at 425,018 tonnes.

Beef exports lifted 11% year-on-year (YoY) to 135,571 tonnes. This is the largest August volume on record, and the second largest overall monthly volume on record after the July volume. Most of this month’s lift came from North Asia. The United States (US) remained the largest market for the month, with exports easing 1% YoY to 40,754 tonnes. The consistently high 2025 export results continue to reflect strong US demand.

The SIAL trade show took place in Shanghai in late May, with 19 red meat exporters exhibiting in the MLA pavilion along with more Australian exporters visiting the show or located in nearby pavilions.