Look, we know that lobster isn’t an everyday kind of thing but Christmas is usually the time we justify splashing out and enjoying the critters of the deep. This year that might be a bit harder.

According to a report by the ABC, despite plentiful catches and harvests, Christmas staples like lobsters and cherries will cost an arm and a leg this year thanks largely to international demand and rising overheads.

A near-perfect growing season means there is plenty of fruit on the trees in Australia but it’s a different story in Chile, our largest competitor in the overseas market. A tough growing season in the South American country means that demand for Australian cherries internationally is likely to keep prices for the fruit high for Australian consumers.

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With the current lobster import restrictions into China still at play, Australian fisheries are in an uncertain position when it comes to price hikes. The anticipated easing of restrictions isn’t the smooth sailing that lobster fishers had hoped for, keeping onshore lobster costs lower than they were pre-pandemic but still a far cry from ‘cheap’ and that price is anticipated to rise slightly as demand increases closer to Christmas.

It’s not all bad news, however. The quality of lobsters, cherries and other produce from around the country is exceptionally high this year after a more stable growing season in 2022-23 than the previous few years of fires and floods.

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