April Beef Output Up 20 Per Cent Year On Year
AUSTRALIA – Almost every state’s beef output was up year-on-year for April, with national output up 20 per cent, bovine genomics supplier and consultant ABS has announced.This is because dry pasture conditions have forced farmers to sell cattle early, reports Meat and Livestock Australia.
Overall, this amounted to a beef and veal production total of 188,754 tonnes cwt. Heifer slaughter figures supported this increase with an increase of 13 per cent on the five year average and 42 per cent higher than April 2012 –rising to 333,352.
Male slaughter rose but only by 13 per cent to 339,064 during April and 6 per cent on the five year average.
But, as output rose, the average weight of carcasses dropped 4 per cent year-on-year at 276 kg/head because of drought conditions and feed scarcity.
Queensland production (94,886 tonnes cwt) was up 16 per cent year-on-year, while NSW (41,310 tonnes cwt) and Victoria (31,055 tonnes cwt) were up 30 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. SA (9,479 tonnes cwt) and Tasmania (4,924 tonnes cwt) were up 37 per cent and 13 per cent respectively, while WA declined 4 per cent year-on-year, at 7,101 tonnes cwt.
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