April 4, 2007

Australia's beef production up in February
 

Australian beef production in February 2007 has registered 183,610 tonnes per hundredweight (cwt), posting a 5 percent increase from the same period last year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Production for the first two months for this year is up 12 percent on the same level last year, to 345,296 tonnes cwt.

The increase in beef production was driven by a 7 percent rise in the number of cattle slaughtered, to 683,000 head.

In Queensland, Australia's largest beef production has increased by 1 percent on the same month last year, to 88,207 tonnes cwt and has accounted for 48 percent of the total production for February. Beef production in New South Wales (NSW) also soared by 10 percent on the same period last year, to 38,819 tonnes cwt, while Victoria's beef output was also up by 14 percent to 33,595 tonnes cwt.

The biggest increase in cattle slaughter came from Victoria and NSW, where numbers were up 17 percent (142,000 head) and 12 percent (151,000 head), respectively. Queensland slaughter increased 2 percent on year ago levels to 303,000 head in February.

The rise in cattle slaughter was due to the ongoing increased turn-off of cattle due to feed and water constraints in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.