New Zealand's red meat sector continues to achieve strong export results in the face of considerable labour shortages and global supply chain disruption, the Meat Industry Association says.
The latest MIA analysis shows the industry is overcoming significant headwinds with exports reaching $940 million during January, a 27 per cent increase by value on January 2021.
The value of exports increased to nearly all the major markets.
China was up 25 per cent to $398m, the United States up 32 per cent to $195m, the United Kingdom up nine per cent to $41m and Japan up 76 per cent to $40m.
"January was another very positive month for exports, which reflects the efforts across the sector to overcome the many challenges in processing and exporting," MIA chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said in a statement.
"There is currently no end in sight to shipping delays and the Covid-19 outbreak is exacerbating existing staff shortages, further limiting the number of livestock that plants can process and impacting some of the industry's value add product offerings."
Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva. Photo / Supplied
All these factors highlighted how important it was to get the right policy settings, in areas such as immigration, to allow the industry to operate to its full potential, Karapeeva said.
Beef exports were a standout performer during January, with volume up seven per cent to 42,291 tonnes, and value up 51 per cent to $422m.
The three main beef markets were China ($186m), the United States ($129m), and Japan ($24m).
"The strong demand meant that the average freight on board (FoB) value for overall beef exports during January was up to a record $9.98/kg."
Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Sirma Karapeeva on The Country below:
Karapeeva said that the high prices "while very welcome" masked some of the pressure the industry was under, and shouldn't be considered a sign that "everything is rosy".
The January data also revealed a significant drop in the volume of chilled exports year-on-year, she said.
"That indicates that the supply chain disruptions are continuing to have an impact on chilled exports, with companies sending more exports as frozen because of the risks in the disrupted supply chain, including significantly longer transit times. That has an impact on value."
The total 3061 tonnes of chilled exports was 41 per cent lower than last January and there was a drop in chilled exports to the United Kingdom and all the major European markets.
The 452 tonnes of chilled sheepmeat exported to the UK was the lowest level during January in more than 20 years.
It accounted for only 17 per cent of sheepmeat exports to the UK by volume, compared to the usual 40 to 50 per cent in January.
