800 million dirhams in Australian meat exports to the UAE

Australian meat exports to the United Arab Emirates reached about 800 million dirhams during 2025, while exports to the Middle East and North Africa region reached a record number of 5.5 billion dirhams, reflecting the growing regional demand for Australian meat.

Darren Watson, Regional Director of the Australian Meat and Livestock Organization in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told the Emirates News Agency, WAM, during the activities of the first day of Gulfood held in Dubai, that the UAE represents one of the most important strategic markets for Australian red meat, noting that the value of exports to the country amounted to 316 million Australian dollars, or about 800 million dirhams, in 2025, compared to 236 million Australian dollars in 2024, while Australia’s red meat exports to the Middle East and North Africa region reached 2.2 billion Australian dollars during the same period.

Watson explained that the Australian Meat and Livestock Organization is one of the leading global bodies in the fields of research, development and marketing, investing about 320 million Australian dollars annually on behalf of cattle, sheep and goat producers, with the aim of supporting innovation, opening new markets, and building global demand for Australian red meat.

He pointed out that 32 Australian companies exporting red meat participated in Gulfood 2026, with an exhibition area of ​​approximately 720 square metres, equivalent to double the area recorded in the last session, which reflects the high level of commitment and the increasing desire of Australian exporters to enhance their presence within the UAE market.

Watson stressed that the exhibition has become a global platform that goes beyond the regional framework, as it brings together companies and buyers from Europe, the United Kingdom, North America, Asia and the Indian subcontinent, which gives Australian exporters the opportunity to meet a large number of trading partners from different countries in one location, whether to maintain existing relationships or to establish new partnerships.

He pointed out that the Australian Meat and Livestock Organization works with various Gulf Cooperation Council markets, in addition to broader markets in the Middle East, including Turkey, Iraq, Morocco, Lebanon and Jordan, in addition to expanding into the Indian subcontinent, in addition to its presence in the United Kingdom and Europe, stressing that Australia is among the few countries that possess production capabilities and advanced global standards that enable it to export to more than 100 markets around the world.

Regarding the prospects for 2026, Watson explained that the focus is on enhancing the added value and demand for high-quality meat products, pointing out that the UAE, with its developed tourism sector, upscale restaurants, and international hotels, constitutes an ideal environment for the growth of demand for Australian meat.