Lamb that is raised on a diet of grass have a more intense pastoral flavor than those raised on a diet of grain. Lamb from Australia and New Zealand is pasture fed on mixed grasses and American raised lamb is first fed a diet of grass but finishes on grain.
Like New Zealand lamb, Australian lamb tends to come from smaller animals that have been entirely grass-fed on open pasture. It is leaner and has a deeper flavor than American lamb.
Today Aussie lamb is also raised for consumption to a specific size and weight which produces a quality product that is less expensive than American domestic lamb. It is of a medium size and resembles that of American lamb the most.
Much like beef, the taste of lamb often stems back to where and how the animal lived. Australian lamb is nearly always pasture-raised, feeding on richly green grasses in open fields. This diet increases the lamb's overall fat content—the factor that typically gives lamb meat that signature gamey flavor.
Domestic lamb is distinguished by its larger size and milder flavor, while lamb imported from Australia or New Zealand features a gamier taste.
American lamb is usually larger and has the highest quality and consistency. It is raised eating grass and finished with high quality grain. The "grain" makes a world of a difference. It also makes raising lamb a lot more expensive (American lamb can be twice as expensive as imported lamb).
High prices are being driven by strong international demand from China and North America, combined with low flock numbers. A trade lamb currently costs nine per cent of the average weekly wage — its highest point since the early 1980s.
Victoria is Australia's largest sheep meat producer, producing around half (46%) of Australian sheep meat followed by NSW (28%).
Lambs produced in the Cowra region have the reputation of being the best lambs in Australia. The genetics in the breeding are second to none.
Over 90% of Australian lambs are grassfed. While most of the remaining are grain assisted with access to grain in the paddock, a smaller number have been finished on a nutritionally balanced, high-energy ration for a specified minimum number of days. Australian organic lamb is raised as nature intended.
Australian lamb is grass fed and finished, but some farmers are moving to a practice of grain finishing on feedlots, so the flavor is similar to American lamb.
Selected to high standards, our livestock are raised on the open pastures in Tasmania and selected for exceptional quality. Our lamb is grass fed, raised without antibiotics, and can be traced all the way back to the farm. So you can feel confident you're getting consistently great taste and quality, every time.
2/ Australian beef is packed full of flavour (and nutrition)
In Australia, around 97% of cattle is grass fed thanks to our plentiful grazing pastures. Many steak aficionados prefer the taste of grass-fed beef as it tends to be more flavoursome and has a classic “meaty” profile.
Aussies actually eat Kanagroo meat. You'll see them packed on supermarket shelves and on restaurant menus. Kangaroo is lean red meat, it's healthy and you can prepare it in many ways – steaks, burgers, sausages, and much more.
The Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines are some of the best in the world, considering factors like pain relief, mental health, and the cow's environment. Such protocol is applied to all red-meat producers in the nation, states Good Meat.
Woolworths fresh lamb is 100% Australian. Only 20% of Woolworths' lambs are sourced from accredited saleyards with 80% sourced straight from the farm.
Western Australia (WA) produces some of the finest lamb, mutton and wool in the world and exports to over 100 countries. Sheep are produced in the south west of the State on broadacre farms, with world class welfare, food safety and environmentally responsible systems.
Selected to high standards, our lambs are born and raised in pastures across farms in North-East Tasmania. Our farmers work with nature to produce great tasting, quality lamb. Coles works with our Tassie farmers to achieve this high level of quality.
For Australian red meat to be identified as Halal, the animals must be slaughtered by a trained Muslim slaughterman in accordance with the requirements of the Islamic law. The word Halal is an Arabic word meaning 'lawful' and is one of the key religious terms used in the Holy Qur'an.
Australia's favourite meats
While red meat has traditionally taken pride of place at the centre of the Aussie dinner table, we're now eating half as much lamb as in the 1980s and two-thirds the amount of beef, but nearly 2.5 times as much chicken and twice as much pork.
The majority of sheep killed in Australia are lambs, slaughtered around 6 – 8 months of age. Sheep can naturally live up to 20 years, with a typical lifespan of 10-12 years. Every year an average of 22.72 million lambs are slaughtered.
The loin produces the most flavorful and tender cuts of Lamb in our opinion, due to its generous and tasty fat cap. Lamb Loin is located in between the ribs and sirloin. Lamb Loin Chops look like miniature bone-in T-Bone steaks or Porterhouse, that are straightforward to grill or pan-fry.
New Zealand lamb has traditionally been cheaper than British lamb because of lower farming costs, higher meat yields and a favourable exchange rate.