The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released its official livestock slaughter and production figures for the first quarter of 2022.

In the three months to March, average cattle carcase weights reached 324.4kg/head. This was 10.8kg heavier than at the same time last year.

According to Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), this increase can be attributed to three key factors:

High cattle prices, which are providing an economic incentive to producers and feedlots to grow cattle out to heavier weights.

Improved seasonal conditions in southern Queensland and New South Wales, which have provided producers with abundant feed.

Increased proportion of slaughter being sourced from the feedlot sector. In Q1 55 percent of slaughtered cattle came from feedlots.

Notably, Queensland cattle averaged 336kg/head in the first quarter of 2022, the highest of any state and 12kg higher than the national average. Conversely, Western Australian cattle were the lightest at 293.4kg/head, however, this is still considered a high weight for the state.

According to Stephen Bignell, Manager of Market Information at MLA, these high carcase weights are offsetting a drop in slaughter.

“The ABS results show that Australian cattle slaughter in Q1 was 1,335,400 head, a 5.8 percent drop on the same quarter last year. Despite this nearly 6 percent drop in slaughter number, Australian beef production dropped only 2.5 percent due to the heavier cattle weights,” Mr Bignell said.

Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) Sheep Genetics program continually strives to provide world leading genetic evaluations for Australia’s sheep and goat producers. Every year, Sheep Genetics make updates to the genetic evaluation to ensure that the service remains world leading and results in the greatest possible genetic progress for producers.

Community members are invited to review and provide feedback on updated forest management plans for the softwood plantations and coastal hardwood forests managed by Forestry Corporation of NSW. 

As temperatures start to cool around the country, seeding for this year’s winter crops is in high gear, farmers once again hoping the weather gods – which have been harsh to many in the past few months – grant a favourable planting window.