July 16, 2010
Cattle slaughter shows decrease in Victoria, Australia
Victorian cattle slaughter numbers decreased 22% during the last financial year.
These figures were more than any other eastern state and led an overall decline of 6% during the 2009-10 fiscal year for the eastern states cattle slaughter to a little more than 6.1 million head.
The big Victorian drop-off was due to a couple of factors, according to Meat and Livestock Australia senior economist Tim McRae.
One of these was the ability of producers to hold back stock to either grow out or rebuild herds. "Producers have been through some pretty tough years and now, are finally getting some better conditions," McRae said. "Producers are looking to hold onto breeders and expand numbers for the coming season."
Further influencing the situation was prolonged drought and high levels of cattle turn off last year associated with the liquidation of the dairy herd.
Numbers of cattle to slaughter in New South Wales and Queensland fell by 3% and 4% respectively, with a wet January and February playing a big role in the ability to transport cattle to northern processors.
The only state to experience a rise in slaughter levels was South Australia, which experienced a jump of 11% on year-ago levels.
During the last month, slaughter rates had improved, with June 2010 figures 5% greater than those of June 2009 in Victoria and South Australia's slaughter rates more than double compared with June 2009.
