China’s increased demand for sheep meat saw imports in 2013 soar by 106 per cent, to 254,379 tonnes according to figures from the China Customs Bureau.
Meat and Livestock Australia said that China’s rapid urbanisation, higher earnings and increasingly diverse diet are the stimulating factors for the growth.
Australia accounted for about 42 per cent of the overall sheep meat imports into China in 2013. Despite this, the shipments only supplied about five per cent of the overall Chinese ovine meat consumption.
Chinese end-users are increasingly interested in purchasing different parts of the sheep, and the meat can be found at hot pot, halal and a wide range of restaurants across the country.
2013 also marked record shipments of Australian sheep meat and goat meat to China, as the country became the largest export market for Australian lamb and mutton, and the second largest export market for Australian goat meat.
