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Cattle slaughter down in June
13 August 2020
Key points:
- Cattle slaughter continued to track below year-ago levels
- The female portion of total adult slaughter remained elevated at 56%
- Heavier carcase weights have not been enough to offset a decline in production
Cattle slaughter
For the month of June, national adult cattle slaughter eased 14% from year-ago levels to 612,000 head, taking the year-to-June total to 3.82 million head, down 7% year-on-year. Victoria reported the largest year-on-year decline, easing 17% to 123,200 head, with New South Wales and Queensland down 15% and 14% to 123,000 and 291,000 head, respectively. With continued disruptions across domestic and international markets, as well as the contraction in availability of livestock, cattle slaughter in June fell to an eight-year low, 12% below the June five-year average of 695,200 head.
The female portion of total slaughter in June accounted for 56%, holding steady with May levels. These elevated levels have continued to slow the pace of a herd rebuild, as female slaughter rates need to taper off to below 47% of the national kill for the rebuild to commence. Queensland was the main driver, accounting for 43% of total female kill at 145,300 head. While prices encouraged larger yardings for the first half of the year, the portion of female slaughter has been exacerbated by low male turn-off. For the month of June, male slaughter totalled 272,000 head, down 8% on year-ago levels and the lowest since April 2019 (excluding December totals due to processing plant closures).
Cattle carcase weights and production
Improved pasture availability across key cattle producing regions has supported heavier weights, with average adult carcase weights up 10kg/head on year-ago levels to average 289kg/head. Male carcase weights saw a modest increase of 4kg year-on-year to average 325kg/head, while female carcase weights reported a strong 10kg/head lift to average 260kg/head.
Despite heavier carcase weights, beef production for the month declined 11% on year-ago levels to 177,000 tonnes carcase weight (cwt), a reflection of the significant slowdown in cattle slaughter. Production is likely to continue tracking below year-ago levels for the remainder of the year, driven by the limited supply of slaughter-ready cattle and heightened restocker competition for breeding stock.
© Meat & Livestock Australia Limited, 2020
