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Australian Commodity Statistics 2009
Beef and veal production in Australia is falling, however carcase weights are increasing. Domestic consumption has also fallen, whilst overall exports have picked up according to the Australian commodity statistics for 2009, published by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Summarised by Charlotte Johnston for TheCattleSite.
Supply and use of beef and veal
In 2008, 8,771,000 animals were slaughtered for beef and veal production. This is a reduction of 2.1 per cent from the previous year. The number of animals slaughtered has remained relatively steady over the last 10 years, with slight fluctuations reflecting severe weather conditions. The average carcase weight increased to 246kg, from 243kg. The average carcase weight has been increasingly steadily and is now 100kg more than in 1962. Exports increased by 1.7 per cent to 1,411,000 tonnes, whilst apparent consumption fell by 47,000 tonnes. Exports have been increasing year on year, except for a fall in 2007.
Cattle numbers
The total number of beef cattle and calves in Australia in 2009 totaled 24,784,000, a decline of 2.3 per cent from 2008. Nearly half of the national herd resides in Queensland, which has 12,005,000 head of beef cattle and calves. The next largest beef producing state is Western Australia which has 2,148,000 head.
Adult female beef cattle equate to 13,620,000 head in Australia, just over half of the national beef herd.
Australian exports
Japan is the largest importer of Australian beef, importing 364,300 tonnes in 2008. Beef and veal exports to Japan, Korea, Canada and America appear to have fallen over the last couple of years, however this is offset by an increase in beef and veal exports to China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Europe and the Middle East have increased, particularly to former Soviet Union states.
Exports of live cattle to Indonesia shot up by 20 per cent from 2007 to 2008.
The total value of beef and veal exports in 2008 was $4,782,700, an increase 12 per cent from the previous year. Japan accounted for nearly half of this, with an export value of $2,009,200 followed by the US who had an export value of $1,039,200 in 2008.
World cattle numbers
In 2007 there were 1,389,600,000 head of cattle recorded in the world. Of these, the majority were in Brazil, followed by China, the US and the EU. Total cattle numbers have been increasing over the last number of years.
World beef and veal production
The US is the largest producer of beef and veal, followed by Brazil, the EU and China. Australia produced 2,161,000 tonnes of beef and veal in 2008, compared to the US who produced 12,163,000 tonnes.
Further Reading
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