December 17, 2010
Australian beef production increases in October
Australian beef and veal production during October increased 3% year-on-year due to better season and heavier carcase weights, while adult cattle slaughter increased 1%, to 645,530 head.
Total production for the month reached 187,300 tonnes, taking volumes for the first 10 months of 2010 to 1.78 million tonnes. It is 0.3% lower than the corresponding period in 2009, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
However, while adult slaughter of October was up 1% on-year, numbers remained 7% below the five-year average (697,000 head). As a lack of suitable slaughter-ready cattle in 2009 reduced throughput levels, the wet 2010 and efforts by producers to retain breeding stock has been behind the historically tighter numbers in 2010. For the first 10 months of 2010, total adult cattle slaughter is back 3% on-year, and on track to be the lowest calendar year total since 1996.
While adult female slaughter during October was virtually unchanged on 2009 numbers at 282,800 head, it was 10% below the five-year average. With the very wet season in 2010, eastern states producers have been enticed to retain additional females, with slaughter for January to October back 5% on-year, to just above 3 million head - the lowest level in four years. The greatest reduction has been in Victoria, which was back 16% year-on-year, with NSW numbers down 10%.
Queensland female turnoff was up 3% for 10-months to October, but remained 1% below the five-year average.
The drought conditions in WA continued to see additional females turned off, with numbers for October up 9% on the same period last year and 15% on the five-year average.
Average carcase weights continued to be higher during October, an indication of better seasonal conditions being experienced throughout eastern and northern Australia. Nationally, average weights for October jumped 3% or 7.1 kg/head on the corresponding period last year, to 284.7kg/head, with Queensland averaging 299.8kg/head (up 4.7kg/head year-on-year).
