Lamb exports reached record levels in February 2019, bumping up overall meat exports to a new monthly high according to figures from Statistics New Zealand. Lamb exports were $391 million in February 2019, a new record for any month. The previous high was in May 2018 ($367 million).
This month’s rise was driven by higher prices, as quantity was little changed from May last year.
“Lamb prices peaked in October last year and remain at high levels,” acting international statistics manager Dave Adair said. “This is consistent with high lamb prices in the supermarket.”
Beef exports were up $43 million in February 2019 to reach $311 million, compared with the same month a year ago. While both value and quantity are up, the rise was mainly due to increased quantities.
Overall meat exports reached a record $839 million in February 2019, due to the high lamb export values. The previous high for meat exports was in March 2015 ($827 million).
