Butchers play a critical role in the success of Australia’s red meat industry – helping consumers connect with and love our product.

Meat and alcohol tend to be perfect partners so it is an obvious choice for butchers to sell either beer or wine with the customer’s purchase.

However, few retail butchers sell this add-on to their product mix, but one Melbourne group has embraced the concept for many years now. 

For the first time, the Australian Meat Excellence Awards Dinner saw AMIC combining its flagship annual awards into one prestigious event, held at Melbourne’s RACV club earlier this year. 

As Australia’s meat industry continues to evolve, workforce capability remains one of the sector’s most important strategic priorities. From processing plants to retail butcher shops, maintaining a skilled workforce is essential to ensuring the long-term strength, competitiveness and sustainability of the industry.

Australia’s meat industry is shifting, with major investment, new ownership and emerging risks reshaping the sector.

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), in partnership with The Gourmet Goat Lady, has successfully completed a proof-of-concept project to develop a salami product made from Australian goatmeat.

Late-February’s launch of US beef into Australia immediately after President Trump announced 15% tariffs seemed tricky timing. 

Chicken meat could be presenting Australian consumers with a growing risk of microplastics, according to one of the country’s leading meat industry experts.

Lamb vs beef? The battle broke out on social media in mid-January, prompted by veteran Lambpro GM Tom Bull.

Australia’s smallgoods sector closed out the 2025 Christmas period on a high, with manufacturers and retailers reporting strong demand across hams, charcuterie, salami and premium cured products. Elevated food spending, combined with a growing appetite for artisan and traditional smallgoods, reinforced the category’s central role in festive dining and summer entertaining. 

Adding alcohol can transform a butcher  shop into a curated food destination — higher baskets, better margins and stronger customer loyalty. Start small: one curated wine, two craft beers and a “meal + drink” bundle. 

In October an Adelaide butcher store was allegedly firebombed, reportedly causing more than $500,000 in damage. A 26-year-old worker at Saray Supermarket and Butchery at Mile End was treated for burns. 

The Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) is investing in a research project to explore the potential of onsite freeze-drying for low-value red meat products, including offal and blood.

Insights, innovations, and stories
shaping Australia’s meat sector.

Female apprentices have topped the ranks in five of the seven state titles in the annual AMIC apprentice of the year competitions.

Surveillance of abattoir CCTV is not reliable, according to an Australian-based pioneer of  camera-based AI systems “Humans are not good at watching videos.

An interview with Russell Carroll, Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) teacher at William Angliss Institute, on why knife maintenance is