Food and fibre

The red meat sector is well established in Victoria, and is quality assured, innovative, and globally connected.

We are Australia’s largest producer of high-quality, naturally grown lamb and produces some of the world’s most premium lean, pasture-fed beef.

With access to world-class research and development facilities, Victoria's meat industry is backed by advanced infrastructure, government support, and a range of policies to ensure the strictest food safety, animal welfare, biosecurity and environmental regulations are met.

Export ready

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of beef and lamb products, including high-value, world-class chilled beef and lamb. Victoria is well-placed to take advantage of growing global demand for high-quality, protein-rich meat.

Victoria has world-class export infrastructure and is home to Australia’s largest container and general cargo port in Melbourne, as well as Portland and Geelong. Geographically, we are a gateway to trade between Asia and the Middle East and offer low freight costs to key Asian economies.

Highest quality

Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grades Australian beef and lamb based on 700,000 consumer taste tests across nine countries. This is one of the reasons why Victoria’s beef and sheep products are world renowned for their excellent eating quality. Victoria is known for its high-quality genetics and for its superior quality cattle, which are used in high value products.

Victoria benefits from:

• industry and government-supported beef and sheep programs, which maximises efficiency and the quality of processed meat
• RD&E investment
• a climate and high rainfall that are ideal for grass-fed beef and sheep production.

Opportunities

There are potentially significant gains to be made for the red meat industries in relation to market access arrangements, including an Australian / EU Free Trade Agreement that is currently under negotiation.

Fast facts

• Meat exports from Victoria were valued at A$3.3 billion in 2017-18 - an increase of A$910 million on 2016-17.
• Sheep meat worth A$1.4 billion and beef (A$1.3 billion) were the most valuable meat categories comprising 83 per cent of Victorian meat exports in 2017-18.
• The USA was the largest destination for Victorian meat exports valued at A$798 million in 2017-18.