Major Commodities - Beef

A dominant player on world markets, Australian beef producers are positive about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

The steady rise in demand for safe and high-quality beef, combined with Australia's focus on meeting consumer needs, has served the sector well at home and overseas.

A relatively small global player in terms of cattle numbers, Australia is a world leader in terms of the value of the beef it exports - outranking its competitors.

It is that quality differentiation, both in terms of supplying a safe and delicious product, as well as the range of quality assurance measures, which ensure Australia will remain a leading light in the global beef trade.

Australian beef - staking its claim

• There are 48,866 beef cattle properties in Australia, with a national herd of 28 million head. The breakdown by State and Territory follows:

NSW		SA
Herd	5.9 million	Herd	1.2 million
VIC		TAS
Herd	3.9 million	Herd	700,000
QLD		NT
Herd	12.3 million	Herd	1.7 million
WA		ACT
Herd	2.3 million	Herd	6,000

- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Livestock Products, Australia, June 2010.

• In total, Australian beef cattle farmers produce 2.1 million tonnes of beef and veal each year.

- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Livestock Products, Australia, June 2010.

• Between 2010 and 2015 adult cattle processing is forecast to rise by 13%, to 9.5 million head (reaching 2.4 million tonnes by 2015).

- Meat & Livestock Australia, Industry Projections, Mid-year update, June 2010.

• The gross value of Australian cattle and calf production is $7.46 billion-a-year. Across each State and Territory the breakdown sees the following gross value ($M):

NSW:	$1,491	WA:	$557
VIC:	$1,308	TAS:	$170
QLD:	$3,366	NT:	$303
SA:	$254	ACT:	$2.5

- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced, 2008/2009.

 

Australian beef - domestic consumption...

• Australians eat an average 35.7 kg of beef per person, per year. Remarkably, this has remained constant for the last 20 years.

- Meat & Livestock Australia, Industry Projections, Mid-year Update, June 2010.

• Total consumption of beef in Australia is projected to rise in 2010 to 760,000 tonnes, and is projected to rise 4% over the next five years.

  - Meat & Livestock Australia, Industry Projections, Mid-year Update, June 2010.

• Over the last 12 months Australians spent $6.4 billion on beef. In terms of volume, beef is the second most popular fresh meat consumed through the food service industry (after chicken).

- Meat & Livestock Australia, Fast Facts 2009: Australian Beef Industry.

 

Australian beef - to the world market...

• The consumption of beef accounts for 24.7% of world meat consumption.

- Barnard, P. Meat - Prospects for Products and Markets, Meat and Livestock Australia 2006.

• Australia exports 927,000 tonnes of beef and veal in 2009, worth $4.3 billion. The major export markets for beef and veal are Japan (38%), the United States (27%) and Korea (12%).

- Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Red Meat Export Statistics 2010 and Meat & Livestock Australia, Fast Facts 2009: Australia’s Beef Industry.

• Australian live cattle exports in 2009 were worth $665.5 million – predominantly exporting to Indonesia (72%), China (11%) and Israel (3%).

- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Livestock Products, Australia, June 2010.

• Australia is the second largest beef exporter in the world (behind Brazil).

- Meat & Livestock Australia, Fast Facts 2009: Australia’s Beef Industry.