Australian cattle slaughter on the rise
West Australia increased slaughter rates by 52% year-on-yearaus
23 November 2022
1 minute read
By: According to Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), overall cattle slaughter and production increased 4% quarter-on-quarter, while carcase weights only eased 1kg. Although these results are below year-ago levels, slaughter numbers remain strong for the year.
The female slaughter rate reached 44%, an indication that the herd rebuild continues moving into the last quarter of the year.
By state, New South Wales increased slaughter by 1% but a 7kg easing in carcase weights saw production soften 2%. Victoria increased slaughter, production and carcase weights by 1% reaching 299,000 head for Q3. Queensland saw a large increase of 9% quarter-on-quarter for cattle slaughter and production. Slaughter numbers are still back 9% on last year’s results at 753,100 head. West Australia increased slaughter rates by 52% year-on-year, with production up 58% compared to September last year.
National calf production increased by 50% which is typical for this time of year. Victoria saw an uptick of 77% from last quarter, 14% higher than year-ago figures.
