Australia and New Zealand take aim at UK meat market

Irish Examiner

6 days ago

Even though it is transported from the other side of the world, Australia's and New Zealand's exporters say their beef and lamb is a sustainable option for the UK.
According to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), it is carving out a premium niche in the UK market, and innovation is "propelling Australia ahead of other countries as a leading supply source".
Exports increased following the 2023 UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement, but Australian beef represents only around 1% of total UK consumption.
Austrade says "that small percentage is having an outsized impact on quality and choice".
With Irish herds declining and domestic UK production increasingly constrained, Australian suppliers are establishing themselves as a reliable premium alternative."
"The focus isn't on replacing British meat but complementing it, especially in high-value segments where consistency and quality rule premium prices".
But it may be over-the-top sustainability claims by the Australians that most annoy the exporters in Ireland, who have by far the biggest share of the 30% of UK red meat consumption filled by imports, and who proudly proclaim the carbon footprints of Ireland's pasture-based dairy and beef systems are among the lowest globally.
Austrade says its "red meat industry is racing towards net zero emissions, from regenerative farming to low carbon shipping methods that naturally age meat at sea". Experimental use of seaweed in cattle feed to reduce methane also gets a mention, but the 10,500 miles transport distance for meat to the UK is glossed over.
Not to be outdone, the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise agency says it can offer UK retailers premium quality, sustainable, and ethical produce all year round, from pasture-based agriculture with some of the lowest emissions intensities globally.
"Emissions per unit are often half those of equivalents produced in the UK or Europe", says the NZTE. It says the carbon footprint of New Zealand sheep meat is less than half of the UK average.
However, it is a journey of 11,500 miles to bring it to the UK. In its defence, the NZTE says shipping by sea adds relatively little to the emissions profile, because it is one of the most carbon-efficient methods ("certainly more so than by road").
"For UK retailers seeking to decarbonise with integrity, the route to net zero may well lie further afield than expected," claims the NZTE.
A New Zealand-UK free trade agreement also came into force in 2023.