The latest lamb advertisement, marking its 20th year, has been unveiled as part of Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) Summer Lamb Campaign, featuring regular “Lambassador” Sam Kekovich.

This instalment of Australia’s favourite lamb ad has been created using 100 per cent real Aussie comments from on-line platforms like TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.

With tongue-in-cheek humour, we’re encouraged to get out of the comments section and get stuck into a lamb cutlet instead.

General Manager for Marketing and Insights at MLA, Nathan Low, said that the Summer Lamb campaign showcases lamb as the protein that brings Aussies together.

“When you delve into the world of online commentary, it would leave you thinking we’re all at each other’s throats, no matter how trivial the topic,” Mr Low said.

"But in real life, we don’t treat each other like that.

"The Summer Lamb campaign is an irreverent reminder that we’re at our best when we’re united, and there’s no better way to bring everyone together than an Aussie Lamb BBQ.”

The annual lamb ad comes off the back of another incredible year for lamb production in Australia.

MLA report that for the year to September 2024, Australia produced 488,566 tonnes of lamb meat.

This was almost as high as the number reached for the full year of 2023, which was the highest on record.

Lamb sales tend to increase across the period that MLA's Australia Day commercial is played (Image: Bourke's Butchery)

“Consumers have also continued to show their support for lamb on the back of these campaigns.

"For example, during the six-week campaign in 2024, purchase volume increased 18.9 per cent compared to the previous year and purchase volume per trip increased 9 per cent compared to the previous year,” Mr Low said.

This is despite MLA reporting that regions across SA, Victoria, and NSW experienced extremely tough conditions in 2024.

Faced with a positive summer season, many producers started the year well, MLA reports.

However, conditions dried up quickly, placing producers in a position of possibly being overstocked and relying on feed.

Alternately, central, and northern NSW and sheep pastoral zones generally experienced positive conditions, creating an environment that supported quality and promoted trading.

This led to a very strong year-end as finished lamb prices remained firm much later than the seasonal norm.

When asked if he saw an uptick in lamb sales around Australia Day, Ernie Delany from Bourke’s Butchery in Bourke said customers were usually after another of his specialties.

“Of course we sell lamb, but we are the home of the 'Bourke mock chicken leg', which is made of chicken mince and looks like a drumstick.

"I’d sell 4000 of them over the Easter break and are selling plenty now as well,” he said.

“I don’t really notice an increase in lamb sales around Australia Day but there are plenty of things to put on the barbie.

"I just look forward to having a long weekend!”

Whether or not you are a lamb lover, the annual MLA ad is always entertaining.

This year, to prove just how wild and ridiculous online discourse has become, it envisions a world where these online personas are transported into a real-life comments section, injecting unwarranted and increasingly heated opinions on everyday scenarios. 

The full-length ad premiered on January 7 and can be viewed here www.australianlamb.com.au. 

You will find some great lamb recipes on this link as well!