Female cattle slaughter rate hits lowest level in Australia since 1996

On Thursday 16 February, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its Q4 production and slaughter data for 2022. Following the data’s release, MLA’s Market Information team compiled an in-depth analysis of the key performance metrics for the cattle herd’s rebuild, including the female slaughter rate (FSR). The FSR is the total number of female cattle processed as a percentage of the total on a quarterly basis and is considered a key metric to the national herd rebuild/liquidation cycle. In 2022, the national FSR averaged 42.8% – the lowest it has been since 1996 and the fifth lowest since ABS records began in 1976. The low FSR directly aligns with MLA’s Cattle projections, which forecast the herd to grow to its highest level since 2014. This figure recognises that 2022 was the most intense year of retention of females on-farm in 26 years – in fact, last year was within the top five strongest years for female retention in recorded history. Figure 1. FSR rolling average ...