5.1 Chicken meat and trade - Overview

Australia has strict trade policies and biosecurity measures in place to ensure that the country and its domestic poultry industries are protected from diseases not usually found in Australia. Imports of chicken meat (other than from NZ, or as canned or fully retorted products) were prohibited until 1998, and remain subject to stringent conditions, resulting in very limited imports of processed chicken meat and no imports of fresh chicken meat.

This means that virtually all chicken meat eaten in Australia is grown in Australia. Also, almost all chicken meat produced in Australia is consumed locally, with just under 5 per cent being exported.