Australian Beef Production Breaks Record
AUSTRALIA - Australian beef and veal production for the 2012-13 financial year surged six per cent year-on-year, reaching 2.2 million tonnes – breaking the previous record by one per cent, or 15,296 tonnes, set in the 2006-07 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
12 August 2013
1 minute read
Meat and Livestock Australia said that driving the increased production during 2012-13 was the drought induced adult cattle slaughter, reaching 7.8 million head, up nine per cent year-on-year and hitting the highest level since the similarly drought affected 2007-08.
Highlighting the impact of the widespread poor seasonal conditions on herd rebuilding during 2012-13 after a run of good seasons, was female slaughter up significantly (15 per cent) year-on-year, at 3.5 million head. Female slaughter in Queensland (1.4 million head), NSW (0.7 million head) and Victoria (0.8 million head) were each up 15 per cent year-on-year.
Male slaughter was also higher, although to a lesser extent, with 4.3 million head killed in 2012-13, up four per cent year-on-year and six per cent on the five-year average, as most states registered an increase.
While production and slaughter was higher, average adult carcase weights decreased by two per cent year-on-year for 2012-13, to 283kg/head, underpinned by a higher proportion of females and unfinished cattle slaughtered.
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