Red meat processing industry fact file
Did you know? Red meat processing is supporting the Australian economy and regional communities more than ever before. Explore our industry fact file to learn more and find out why it’s so important to back our Aussie red meat processors!
The red meat processing industry currently supports around 419,000 Australian jobs.
For every person employed in red meat processing, around four others are employed through flow-on effects.
Compared to the total Australian workforce, the meat processing industry offers more employment opportunities to younger Australians, with 55% of workers under 40 years old (2021).
Age profile of red meat industry against total Australian workforce (2021)
Meat processing is in the top 5 industries of employment for 245 suburbs and localities across Australia, with 88 of these areas identifying it as their number one.
Red meat processors have people employed in a total of 332 local government areas, representing 61% of all local government areas in Australia.
Queensland alone is home to 34 suburbs in which red meat processing is the largest industry of local employment.
Just over 60% of meat processing employment in Australia is located outside of capital cities.
Australia’s per capita red meat consumption continues to be one of the highest in the world.
92% of Australian households purchased beef and 72% bought lamb in the past year.
In 2024, the Australian red meat processing sector increased turnover by 1.2%, with domestic meat retail increasing by 5%.
In comparison to other industries, the red meat and livestock sector remains larger than the ‘education and training (private)’, ‘arts and recreation services’ and ‘public administration and safety (private)’ industries (2022-23).
Red meat processing grew its year-on-year value add by 13.1% in 2022-23.
In 2024, records were broken in the volume of beef, lamb, mutton, goat and offal exported from Australia. This was the first time all of these products broke records in the same year.
These facts and figures reveal the red meat processing industry to be a heavy lifter, with our dedicated workforce remaining some of the true unsung heroes in Australia’s economic success story. From Tamworth to Townsville, and from Wodonga to Rockhampton, we are determined to highlight the significant contribution the industry makes to the nation’s bottom line.
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Sources: Australian Meat Processor Corporation, ABS, Meat and Livestock Australia, Australian Meat Industry Council.