June 4, 2012

Queensland cattle slaughter at highest weekly level

Queensland adult cattle slaughter has peaked at its highest weekly level since October 2011 of the same period, with over 74,000 head processed, even as some restricted throughput earlier in the month affected average slaughter for the past four weeks back by 10% on-year, to just above 68,000 head.

The higher slaughter in late May is not unusual, with producers electing to offload cattle before any loss of condition is experienced throughout the cooler winter months. Despite recent rain across southern and central Queensland, there continues to be a very steady flow of cattle direct to processors, with many heavy lines reportedly coming in from western regions.

The majority of other states reported an increase in slaughter numbers compared with the corresponding week in 2011, with Tasmania up 15%. Compared to 2011, slaughter was 14% higher in Victoria and 13% higher in Southern Australia. New South Wales, however, registered a decrease in slaughter compared to last year, with many producers in cooler regions having already sold stock earlier in the month.