New Zealand red meat exports reached USD 710 million in June, up 15% from the same period last year, said an analysis by local Meat Industry Association (MIA).
The increase was largely driven by beef exports, particularly to China. The product’s overall value was up 23%, to USD 325 million, while the value of exports to China was up 39%, to USD 140 million.
Sheep meat exports had a rise of 15% in value, to USD 257 million.
“This is a remarkable performance in the face of challenging supply chain issues impacting our exporters’ abilities to get products to our global markets,” chief executive of the Meat Industry Association, Sirma Karapeeva, said.
“Consumers are increasingly valuing our natural low-impact farming practices and our farmers deserve a lot of credit for this.”
Accumulated exports for the June 2021/2022 year were worth USD 7.1 billion, an increase in value of 20% compared to the 2020/2021 period. Sheep meat value was up 12%, to USD 2.78 billion, and beef by 28%, to USD 2.97 billion