National Lamb Day, celebrated on 15 February, honours the origin of New Zealand’s globally renowned food industry.
The history
On February 15, 1882, entrepreneurs William Davidson and Thomas Brydone organised the first shipment of frozen lamb from Port Chalmers, Otago to London. Davidson, a British based general manager of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, had been involved in refrigerated shipping experiments, leading to this pioneering journey of around 5,000 carcasses. This historic event marked the beginning of New Zealand’s multi-billion dollar meat industry, showcasing the high quality of New Zealand lamb to the world.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand proudly supports National Lamb Day and, together with Ag Proud, led the 2024 celebrations with a nationwide campaign that celebrated New Zealand’s farmers and food producers, encouraging Kiwis to enjoy lamb. Highlights included a well-attended lamb barbecue at Parliament with over 40 MPs, widespread social media engagement, a feature on Seven Sharp, and live radio coverage on The Rock from Southern Field Days. Planning is currently underway for 2025!
LET’S CELEBRATE
You can find all you need to know about New Zealand lamb below, including delicious recipes, cooking tips, where to buy lamb, and much more! We also don’t eat lamb on its own, so we want to take an opportunity to celebrate the amazing producers across Aotearoa who are putting out world-beating food. Check out the recipes below to see some of our favourite food pairing for lamb!
NATIONAL LAMB DAY
FARMER’S COLLECTIVE
NATIONAL LAMB DAY
LAMB RECIPES
NATIONAL LAMB DAY
WHERE TO BUY
NATIONAL LAMB DAY
LAMB CUTS
NATIONAL LAMB DAY
chef recipes