China and the United States went neck-and-neck for the title of Australia's main sheepmeat export destination in January.
China won the battle importing 5260 tonnes of lamb, up 52 per cent year-on-year, and 4459t of mutton, down 7pc year-on-year.
Uncertainty hangs over the short-term future of sheepmeat shipments to China because of the business and social upheaval caused by the deadly and as-yet uncontained outbreak of coronavirus but other countries are lining up to grab more of our sheepmeat.
Australia shipped a total 42,010t of sheepmeat in January, a 13 pc increase on the same month last year.
Lamb exports hit 23,366t, up 8pc year-on-year, while mutton rose 20pc year-on-year to 18,643t.
Mutton exports to the US jumped 150pc year-on-year in January to 4149t while its lamb imports dropped 9pc year-on-year to 5115t.
A feature of the exports results in January was a lift in shipments to second-tier markets headed by South Korea which increased its lamb imports 53pc year-on-year to 1576t.
Mutton exports to Malaysia jumped 80pc year-on-year to 2131t.
The EU lifted its total sheepmeat imports by 59pc year-on-year to 1188t.
Australian saleyard prices for lamb and mutton continued to rise last week with the benchmark Eastern States Trade Lamb Indicator climbing 16c to 828c a kilogram dressed, 198c higher than this time last year.
The Eastern States Restocker Indicator zoomed up 35c for the week to 928c which is a whopping 353c above the rate this time a year ago.
Widespread rain in the past few days over much of NSW as well Victoria and South Australia will almost certainly add more upward pressure on prices this week.