Grainfed cattle account for almost half of Australia’s cattle slaughter

In 2022, the lot feeding sector solidified itself as a major component of the Australian beef supply chain, accounting for a record 47% of total cattle slaughter. With the release of the December 2022 quarter lot feeding brief, a year-in-review analysis has been conducted by MLA’s Market Information team to gain insights into how the sector performed. Capacity National capacity for cattle on feed in 2022 continued its natural upwards trajectory, with the industry expecting to have space available for 1.532 million head (assuming 100% utilisation) in Q4 2022. Compared to Q4 2021, a further 5.5% or 79,000 head of pen space was delivered in 12 months. National capacity for Q4 2022 is 225,000 head higher than Q4 2018 – an increase of 17.2%. All states have experienced strong growth compared with five years ago. The most significant increase occurred in Queensland, with its current pen space 17% higher (a further 123,000 head) than Q4 2018. WA and SA also experienced strong increases ...