Today’s release of the official Australian livestock numbers as of June 30, 2020, by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the first clear, albeit lagged, confirmation of the historically low level of the Australian cattle herd. According to the ABS, the Australian cattle herd was at 23.503 million head in June 2020 – the lowest annual level in 30 years.
Comprising of 21.142 million head of beef cattle and 2.361 million dairy cattle, as at June 2020, the herd total of 23.503 million head will serve as an important reference point for the rebuild currently underway. While every supply factor for the past 12 months has clearly indicated the historically low level of the herd, it is nice to have an official starting point.
At 23.503 million head, the national cattle herd fell 5% throughout the 2019-20 fiscal year and is down 20% from the most recent high point of 29.2 million head in 2013.
According to the ABS state numbers for June 2020, the year-on-year changes were:
Queensland = 10.5 million head, down 7% on 2019 (lowest since 1997)
NSW = 3.857 million head, down 5% (lowest since 1960)
Victoria = 3.514 million head, down 2.5% (lowest since 2016)
SA = 1.023 million head, up 4%
Tasmania = 775,363 head, up 17% (highest since 1977)
WA = 2.031 million head, up 2%
NT = 1.799 million head, down 16% (lowest since 2009)