Market Morsel: Mutton’s winter solstice

Market Morsel

It is not uncommon to see Australian mutton export flows reach a seasonal trough in July, and this year appears to be on cue. Total mutton exports for July have recorded 7,006 tonnes swt, just 291 tonnes under the five-year trend for July, or 4% below the average.

Pleasingly, flows to China (our top export destination for mutton) are 35% above the average for July at 2,347 tonnes and mutton exports to the USA are 43% ahead of the five-year average with 1,358 tonnes reported shipped.

Unfortunately, mutton exports to all other destinations (excluding China and the USA) are acting as a bit of a handbrake, with volumes running 28% under the five-year average pattern with just 3,301 tonnes reported for July 2021.