Australian lamb continues to do well in US market

Australian lamb continues to do well in the crowded retail and foodservice market in USA. USA Australian lamb arrivals to week 14 2017 were up 11% to 18,526 tonnes. Australian lamb was 73% of total arrivals of 25,233 tonnes compared with New Zealand lamb 26%. Only minor supplies from Canada and Iceland have been recorded.

"With the Easter holiday this weekend, lamb and veal retail activity sharply increased by 53.2%. The feature rate followed suit with an increase of 19%, while the special rate also rose by 0.2%. Lamb retail activity index
showed an increase of 60.4%. The amount of roasts showcased shot up by 82.9% while the amount of chops featured sank by 26.7%. Leg cuts, both bone-in and semi-boneless, were the most widely advertised item among the lamb features this week as the general price trend this period was steady to firm."
USDA retail report

3,845 million pounds (1,744 tonnes) of Australian and New Zealand were traded wholesale in USDA report for April 17 2017.

US Beef Board figures for 12 months to February 2017 show lamb at retail had a sales value of US$405 million, a rise of 1%. This compares with sales value falling 3.3% for beef and 6.6% for pork. Lamb volume for the 12 months at US retail (based on scan data) was almost 58 million pounds. Unit sales value of all lamb sold at retail was US$7.03 per lb.