Livestock Products, Australia

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Quarterly statistics on livestock slaughtered and meat production

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Reference period
September 2023
Released
16/11/2023
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Key statistics

In seasonally adjusted terms for the September 2023 quarter:

  • Red meat production increased 4.2%
  • Chicken meat production decreased 0.4%

Livestock products (seasonally adjusted)

Cattle

  • Cattle slaughtered in the September 2023 quarter increased 8.4 % to 1.8 million.
  • Beef production in the September2023 quarter increased 6.6 % to 567,572 tonnes.   

 

Sheep

  • Sheep slaughtered in the September 2023 quarter decreased 27.0% to 2.2 million.
  • Mutton production in the September 2023 quarter decreased 27.6% to 56,364 tonnes.

 

Lambs

  • Lambs slaughtered in the September 2023 quarter increased 14.9% to 6.7 million.
  • Lamb meat production in the September 2023 quarter increased 14.3% to 161,034 tonnes.

 

Pigs

  • Pigs slaughtered in the September 2023 quarter increased 0.6% to 1.5 million.
  • Pig meat production in the September 2023 quarter increased 1.4% to 117,396 tonnes.

 

Chickens

  • Chickens slaughtered in the September 2023 quarter increased 0.04% to 182.7 million. 
  • Chicken meat production in the September 2023 quarter decreased 0.4% to 357,809 tonnes. 

Gross value of livestock (original)

  • The gross value of cattle and calves slaughtered decreased 2.5% to $3.2 billion.
  • The gross value of sheep and lambs slaughtered decreased 18.5% to $956.6 million. 
  • The gross value of pigs slaughtered decreased 1.5% to $432.7 million. 
  • The gross value of poultry slaughtered increased 5.7% to $999.6 million. 

Changes in this and forthcoming issues

Suspension of trend estimates

The trend series attempts to measure underlying behaviour in livestock slaughter (including poultry), meat production and wool receivals data.  In the short term, this measurement may be affected by changes to regular patterns in livestock slaughterings, meat production and wool receivals arising from continuing COVID-19 restrictions, as well as changes in overall environmental conditions.  If the trend estimates were to be calculated without fully accounting for these factors, they would likely provide a misleading view of underlying behaviour in livestock slaughter, meat production and wool receivals.

It may be some time before the underlying trend can be estimated accurately.  The livestock slaughtering and meat production trend series were therefore suspended from the March 2020 reference quarter, and poultry slaughtering and meat production and wool receivals trend series suspended from the June 2020 reference quarter.  These trend series will be reinstated when more certainty emerges in the underlying trend for these series.

For more detail on trend estimates, please refer to the ABS Feature Article: When it's Not "Business-as-Usual": Implications for ABS Time Series.

Reinstating concurrent estimates

An annual time series review was undertaken prior to the release of the September quarter 2023 publication to assess the suitability of 'forward seasonal factors' that were used in the livestock products collection in September quarter 2020. These factors were introduced to ensure seasonal estimates were not distorted in industries affected by Covid-19 impacts. Series produced from forward factors use static seasonal factor estimates from the previous year to calculate seasonal factors for the following year. This allows for stability across a series when there are major supply or demand based disruptions (i.e. non-seasonal disruptions). Returning to concurrent seasonal factors results in smaller revisions to previously published seasonal estimates.

Each livestock product series was individually assessed to determine the suitability for returning to concurrent seasonal factors, reducing the size of revisions over the latest four quarters.  Results from the review suggest the Livestock products series has sufficiently settled from the non seasonal Covid-19 disruptions, to enable the reinstatement of concurrent seasonal adjustment.

Revisions to each published series, stemming from the reintroduction of concurrent seasonal factors, are all less than 0.5% of previously published seasonal estimates.

Further information on the seasonal adjustment methods applied to livestock and poultry slaughtering and meat production statistics can be found in the Methodology section of this publication.

Revisions

Published estimates for sheep, mutton, and total meat in Queensland between September 1979 and June 2010 were inadvertently removed from the ABS website when forward seasonal factors were introduced in the September quarter 2020. These estimates have now been reinstated and are unchanged in original terms. There are some very minor revisions to all three series in seasonal terms attributable to the reinstatement of concurrent seasonal factors.

Data downloads

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Time Series Spreadsheets

Data files

Data Explorer datatsets

Caution: Data in the Data Explorer is currently released after the 11:30am release on the ABS website. Please check the time period when using Data Explorer.

For information Data Explorer and how it works, see the Data Explorer user guide.

  Livestock slaughtered – Quarterly statistics on livestock slaughtered.

  Meat produced – Quarterly statistics on meat production.

Data Cubes

Gross value of livestock slaughtered

Data files
Download xlsx [84.75 KB]

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 7215.0.

Methodology

Scope

Includes livestock and poultry slaughtering at registered abattoirs, meat production for human consumption and gross value of livestock slaughtered.

Geography

Data available for Australian and state totals.

Source

Data is sourced from commercial abattoirs and meat processors.

Collection method

A quarterly survey of commercial abattoirs and meat processors.

Concepts, sources and methods

Not applicable for this release.

History of changes

The Wool Purchases, Receivals and Sales Survey and data release (Table 16) was ceased in September 2022.

View full methodology