Cattle slaughter up in Australia amid drier weather conditions
Cattle slaughter in Australia rose substantially in the first nine months of 2023.
According to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show slaughter levels of 5.1 million head from January to September. This is an increase of 17.6% compared to the same period last year.
Market information manager at Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Stephen Bignell, said these figures represented a turning point in Australian livestock farming.
He said farmers had been rebuilding their herds for the last three years, explaining that La Niña weather patterns (with higher levels of rainfall) had been part of that strategy.
Higher slaughter levels now, Mr Bignell said, were a reflection of drier conditions in the southern hemisphere winter this year and forecasts of generally drier El Niño conditions over the coming summer months, although with “pockets of positive weather” (more rainfall) in some areas.
