Australia’s cattle herd recovering quickly
Red meat promotions body Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has revised its forecast for cattle slaughter this year downwards.
It said earlier this year that it expected slaughter levels to reach 6.4 million in 2021, but it now says the figure will be 6.3 million. The figure for 2020 was 7.2 million.
MLA said Australia’s cattle herd was “rebuilding quickly” and likely to number 26 million head by the end of 2021. This would represent an increase of 5% compared to the 2020 figure.
It said an abundance of grass and an increase in grainfed cattle were supporting the national herd’s recovery. Furthermore, these conditions have led it to increase its projection for an average carcass weight this year. It now calculates this at 311 kilos per head, 11 kilos more than earlier projections.
