var pagename = window.location.pathname;
pagename = pagename.replace(///g, ”);
shortPageName = pagename.slice(-7);
shortPageName = shortPageName
//alert(shortPageName);
var dateDiv = $(‘div.date:first’);
var textDate = dateDiv.html();
//alert(textDate);
var calcSourceID = shortPageName + textDate.replace(/s+/g, ”);
//alert(calcSourceID);
Australia’s beef industry has delivered a record financial year for FY2025-26, with beef production reaching 2.985 million tonnes and cattle slaughter recording its highest financial-year total since 1978.
The latest livestock processing data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows nearly 9.6 million cattle were processed during FY2025-26, up 8.1% year-on-year, while beef production increased 8.6% to a record 2.985 million tonnes.
Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) Senior Market Information Analyst, Emiliano Diaz said the figures highlight the strength of Australia’s cattle supply and processing sector.
“Favourable seasonal conditions over recent years expanded the national herd and supported elevated cattle availability, driving historically high processing volumes across the country,” Mr Diaz said.
“While the record result was primarily driven by strong supply conditions, the industry achieved it against a backdrop of increasingly challenging global trading conditions towards the end of the financial year.”
“Demand for Australian red meat remained resilient overall, highlighting the sector’s ability to adapt and compete in a more volatile global environment.”
Beef
The record financial year was capped by an exceptionally strong June quarter, with beef production reaching a new quarterly record of 780,620 tonnes.
New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland each recorded their highest quarterly beef production on record, highlighting the widespread strength of cattle supply and processing activity across Australia’s major producing regions.
Beef production also strengthened in the June quarter as exporters accelerated shipments ahead of safeguard thresholds being reached in China and Korea.
Typical seasonal patterns emerged during the June quarter, with increased slaughter numbers resulting in slightly lower carcase weights than the March quarter, while the female slaughter rate lifted as expected.
“The strength of the June quarter reflects both the depth of cattle supply and the processing sector’s ability to efficiently handle elevated throughput across Australia’s key cattle-producing states,” Mr Diaz said.
Lamb
Lamb slaughter continued to contract during FY2025-26, however production declined at a slower rate as heavier animals drove record carcase weights.
Lamb slaughter totalled 22.075 million head, down 15.3% year-on-year, while lamb production declined 11.2% to 554,658 tonnes. Despite the reduction, FY2025-26 remained the fourth-largest lamb production year on record.
The June quarter saw lamb slaughter fall 21.6% year-on-year to 5.286 million head, while production declined 15.7% to 140,995 tonnes. The national lamb carcase weight reached a record 26.7kg per head during the quarter.
“The lamb sector is producing fewer animals than a year ago, but record carcase weights have helped offset some of the decline in slaughter numbers,” Mr Diaz said.
Mutton
Sheep supply contracted sharply throughout FY2025-26, driving the lowest annual mutton production and sheep slaughter levels since FY2022.
Annual sheep slaughter fell 31.5% to 8.045 million head, while mutton production declined 28.8% to 209,865 tonnes.
The June quarter recorded the lowest sheep slaughter and mutton production levels since June 2021, with sheep slaughter falling 46.9% year-on-year to 1.334 million head and mutton production declining 43.1% to 34,205 tonnes.
“The sheep industry is moving through a markedly different phase of the production cycle, with lower turn-off reflecting tighter sheep availability following the elevated processing levels of recent years,” Mr Diaz said.
