Grainfed cattle account for nearly half of Australian beef slaughter

In 2022, Australia's lot feeding sector solidified itself as a major component of the Australian beef supply chain, accounting for a record 47% of total cattle slaughter, according to a press release from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA). 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. National capacity for cattle on feed in 2022 continued its upward trend, with the industry expecting to have space available for 1.532 million head in Q4 2022. That is assuming 100% utilisation, the release said. 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 ...