Between June and August, beef and sheep meat production dropped 24 percent year-on-year. Photo: Meat Industry Association
Fewer animals being processed is hitting red-meat export volumes.
Meat Industry Association data shows $564 million of red-meat was exported in September - eight per cent less than September last year.
The US was the largest export market at $143 million - down 5 percent - followed by China, which dropped 41 percent year-on-year to $106 million.
Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said in general, there was still demand for New Zealand red meat, except perhaps in China, but supplies had been constrained in recent months.
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"The most noticeable trend for the month, and the third quarter, was the drop in the volume of exports compared to last year.
"This appears to be largely due to a drop in production over recent months. There has been less meat produced and available for export."
Sirma Karapeeva, chief executive of the Meat Industry Association. Photo: Supplied / Meat Industry Association
More animals were processed earlier in the year; between January and May beef production was up 4 percent on the same period last year and sheep meat production was up 6 percent.
But between June and August both beef and sheep meat production dropped by 24 percent on the same period in 2023.
Karapeeva said to mitigate fluctuations in production, meat companies were targeting a large range of markets.
"There were increases in both sheep and beef exports to Canada (up 71 percent to $40 million), the Netherlands (up 48 percent to $30 million) and to the UK, which grew 51 percent to $25 million.
"The volume of sheep meat exports to the UK increased by 36 percent to 1806 tonnes but the value was up by 46 percent to $18 million.
"Similarly, sheep meat exports to the EU were up 12 percent by volume to 3086 tonnes but the value was up 23 percent to $55 million."