Australia: Livestock and Products Semi-Annual

In 2022, the Australia beef industry is set to continue its herd rebuilding phase which began in 2021. As the herd numbers have begun to recover, overall cattle slaughter is expected to rise from the 50-year low of last year. With ample pasture production in key beef producing areas, and a continued high proportion of cattle finished by feedlots, carcass weights are expected to improve moderately in 2022. Higher slaughter and strong slaughter weights are expected to result in a 12 percent rise in beef production and a 13 percent increase in beef exports for 2022. For pork, another record grain harvest has helped curtail any increase in feed costs, and this combined with strong pork prices are expected to result in Australia’s 2022 pork production matching last year’s record level.