As well as the traditional rant from Mr Kekovich spruiking the qualities of lamb, he has taken Aqua’s 1990s hit Barbie Girl and created what he claims to be his first “chop hit”.

“It’s been a year of ca-lamb-ity – natural disasters, revolutions, economic turmoil and to top it off, unAustralianism has gone viral,” Mr Kekovich declared.

“Popular culture’s so unAustralian, I’ve decided to create chopular culture instead. So I’m changing my tune and releasing my own chop song.”

The new campaign, which is run by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), keeps lamb top of mind with consumers, MLA general manager of marketing Glen Feist said.

“Australians look forward to seeing what Sam is up to for Australia Day and the campaign sets the scene for strong lamb sales during this key promotional period,” Mr Feist said.

“Australians spent a total of $2.2 billion on lamb in 2010-11.

“Our 2011 campaign supported retailers to set records for sales over the Australia Day week, with Australians spending $17.1 million on lamb, 12 per cent higher than the same time in 2010.”

The music video can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/lambaustraliaday.

Australian acts Melissa Tkautz and Justice Crew also appear in the video.