July 4, 2007

Australia's May beef output down 8.4 percent on-month at 169,571 tonnes
 

Beef production in Australia, a major global exporter, fell 8.4 percent on-month to a seasonally-adjusted 169,571 tonnes in May, and was down 4.4 percent on-year, the government's Bureau of Statistics reported Wednesday (Jul 4).

The total number of cattle slaughtered in May, excluding calves, fell 6.3 percent on- month to 642,600 beasts and was down 2.4 percent on-year, it reported.

Australia exports about two-thirds of its beef production, with about 90 percent destined for Japan, the US and South Korea, and with the overall level of exports closely tied to production.

The bureau does not usually comment on the data.

               Australian Meat Production
          (seasonally-adjusted tonnes, carcass weight)
                     May 07     April 07       May 06

Beef              169,571     185,123      177,458

Veal                2,541       2,799         2,423

Muttonne         18,535      20,718       20,673

Lamb              33,034      34,690       32,558

Pork               31,770      30,988       31,599

(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics)