The United States has become New Zealand's largest red meat market. Most is beef and destined to be processed for hamburgers. A competitor at the independence burger eating contest in Washington.

American appetite for New Zealand beef continued undiminished last year as sales rose to $1.49 billion, compared to $1.2b in 2014.

In total the United States bought $1.8b of red meat from New Zealand, of which just $300 million was sheepmeat, according to the latest Meat Industry Association figures.

China continued to grow as a market for New Zealand red meat with a spend of $1.55b for the year, compared to $1.4b the year before.

While the value of sheepmeat to China fell slightly to $631m, beef exports continued their upward trend to reach $550m.

Even tripe and casings to China fetched $300m in 2015, although this was down on the high of $450m in 2012, before the Chinese banned the import of "green runners".

Potentially the China market could provide even higher returns if more expensive chilled red meat could be exported.

Because of concerns over the logistics of keeping chilled meat safe, China has so far only allowed a trial by Australia to proceed.

Most sheep and beef is sent to China in frozen form; most of this is ready cut, with no beef carcasses and 7.6 per cent of sheep sent as carcasses.

Meanwhile Rabobank has reported that Brazil is likely to become the leading beef exporter to China in 2016, and once it gains access to the US market in mid-2016 it will have the advantage of a low currency to compete against New Zealand.

Weak demand from the US at the beginning of the year saw New Zealand beef prices there reach a low point of $5.05 a kilogram, but as peak grilling season arrives in the second quarter, prices should rise.

Rabobank expected an increase in slaughter rates for dairy cows following Fonterra's recent low payout announcement.

Overall beef tonnages for 2015 were up 12 per cent on the previous year.

New Zealand's traditional United Kingdom market is still sizeable, taking $619m of mainly sheepmeat in 2015, while sales to the European Union were $828m, again predominantly sheepmeat.