The Bunbury based company launched its new product range in Shanghai and Beijing in June 2017 with a chilled lamb range to be sold in high end retail stores and served up in top restaurants and hotels all over the country.

Considered a significant first mover into premium segments of the enormous and growing red meat market in China, V&V Walsh also has the advantage of being approved to supply chilled beef as well as frozen beef, sheep and goat meat.

The achievement was supported by the State Government's WA Open for Business program, the Department of Agriculture and Food and Meat and Livestock Australia.

Michael Finucan, MLA General Manager International Markets told Farming Ahead it was great to see the first Australian chilled lamb brand entering the market targeting higher income consumers. 

“This is an untapped market for Australia and we have first mover advantage in this space and fully support V&V Walsh’s endeavours to grow this sector of the market,” Mr Finucane said.

WA Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan congratulated Peter and Greg Walsh on their hard work in becoming one of China’s first suppliers of high quality red meat. 

“Chinese consumers can now enjoy the first ever imported chilled lamb from WA, which is Australian lamb at its very best,” Minister MacTiernan said.

"While China is WA's largest market for sheep meat, our exports largely comprise lower value frozen cuts.  Now Chinese consumers can access a range of branded, premium-grade value-added lamb products,” she said.

"Exporting this value-added Western Australian product means more jobs in regional WA and more benefits for our economy.

 "V&V Walsh have led the way for the WA red meat industry and the WA Government is proud to have been involved."

The Minister added this new high-value premium lamb market should provide further confidence to the WA sheep industry and to investors about the future of the industry, as it looks for growth.