August 18, 2009
Australia's red meat production declines, chicken rises
The number of cattle, sheep, and pigs slaughtered dropped by up to 30,000 head in the June quarter in Australia, according to figures from the Australian Bureau Statistics (ABS).
Concerns have been expressed by some parts of industry that the global financial crisis is hitting red meat sales.
There are also some fears that a growing number of consumers are turning away from red meat because of the emissions agriculture produces.
It's unclear whether these Australian Bureau Statistics (ABS) figures prove anything, but there's no doubt that while red meat killings are down, chicken slaughter numbers are up.
The number of chickens slaughtered in the June quarter rose by more than 500,000 to almost 121 million.
Meanwhile, cattle slaughters fell by 30,000 head to 1.9 million.
