June quarter cattle and goat insights released
03 September 2021
Key points:
- Male carcase weights remain firm at 340kg, just below March 2021 quarter record of 341kg
- Female carcase weights fall by 5kg from March quarter levels to 276kg
- June quarter goat slaughter and production holds firm, at 268,310 head and 4,539 tonnes respectively
Exclusive June quarter data made available by the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals some key insights for both male and female cattle carcase weights and goat slaughter and production.
Cattle carcase weights
Male carcase weights only declined by 1kg from the March 2021 quarter to achieve 340kg for June. June weights are 5% above the five-year average of 324kg.
Key highlights included Queensland leading the way at 351kg, trailed by NSW and Victoria at 343kg and 323kg, respectively. The lowest carcase weights were for WA cattle, reaching 287kg.
Female carcase weights averaged 276kg for the June quarter, a decline of 1.4% since March but still 8% above the five-year June quarter average of 254kg. Evidently, the decline in female weights has contributed mostly to the fall in total adult carcase weights in the June quarter, which dropped from 314kg to 310kg. The higher female slaughter rate in the June quarter meant that a higher proportion of female cattle were killed than earlier in the year, helping to bring the total average carcase weight down.
Key highlights for female carcase weights included Victoria topping at 289kg (a decline of 8kg on the previous quarter), followed by Tasmania at 275kg. Both SA and NSW averaged 274kg. WA was again the lowest at 263kg.
Goats
June quarter goat slaughter declined by 1.5% to hit 268,310 head, up 23% on the 2020 June quarter, however, down 25% the five-year quarterly average. Similarly, production came back by 2% to achieve 4,539 tonnes, up 33% on year-ago quarter levels, however, still 13% below the five-year average.
Key highlights include NSW and Queensland slaughter rising by 37%, hitting 11,767 and 85,170 head, respectively with WA hitting 1,171 head, an exceptional 532% increase. Victoria still leads the way, slaughtering 146,428 head in the June quarter.
