As demand for global food is rising, the region's food producers are making their operations efficient to stay ahead

The livestock sector is forecast to produce 1.2 per cent more from this year to next year to the tune of $35 billion, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences forecast said.

Globally, demand for Australia's livestock products is expected to increase while exports volume fell to $9.4 billion as livestock producers are rebuilding flock.

Australia's food export competitiveness is largely reliant on weather, efficient transport and reliable supply of workers because agriculture production is enjoying a bumper season to take advantage of, Fletchers International Exports director Roger Fletcher said.

Fletchers operates its largest abattoir in Dubbo and has been exporting lamb and sheep meat across the globe for nearly four decades.

During the 2019-2020 pandemic, the meat and livestock exporters recorded one transaction each but for 2021 to 2022, global transactions were up to 51 times each.

"Those are the main issues that went bad for us in the last 12 months but we always look to the future, to where we are going and improve is want we can do," Mr Fletcher said.

"Everyone had bumps on the road...we've had strikes at the wharves and railway lines were flooded, so shipping had been a disaster which are flow-on effect.

"We were short of employees after so many left the country and couldn't come back due to COVID entry restrictions but this year, we are slowly getting back our workers."

Global meat prices have risen while supply is tight, but exporters like Fletchers are on the mend following the impacts of COVID-19, spate of floods, lack of workers, and transport disruptions, Mr Fletcher said.

But exporters are "looking into the future" as global businesses have opened up putting aside the devastating impact of the pandemic, Mr Fletcher said.

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As the pandemic hit the country, export numbers dwindled and currently 1009 meat and livestock exporters have been back in operations, with increasing global transactions in the past 12 months, ABARES said.

Mr Fletcher said exporters were lobbying for improved railway freight system, including the use of long hauls instead of smaller train loads.

"We've had the best machineries to take our products to Sydney port and we expect them on the best railway lines with less disruptions.

"Our transport systems has some issues, our wharves are third rate as far as containers' shipping are concerned.

"It's a big job and a huge challenge but we can do better at it. We've spent a lot of money making our road and freight transport systems efficient over the years and we're building tunnels a lot better than we used to."

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