How many cattle are in Australia’s feedlots?

Feedlots play a crucial role in the fortunes of beef producers and the latest numbers show a concerning trend.

There are almost 10 per cent less cattle on feed than a year ago, despite a modest lift in the past three months.

The latest feedlot survey results were released on Friday and show there were 1,158,240 cattle on feed in the first quarter of the year.

This is 1.1 per cent higher than the December quarter but more than 100,000 less than in March last year.

The number of cattle in Australian feedlots has fallen year-on-year. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

The feedlot results are published by the Australian Lot Feeders’ Association (ALFA) and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) every three months.

The analysis has shown the high price of cattle and low feedlot utilisation rates had combined to stop the number of cattle on feed growing.

ALFA president Barb Madden said the national numbers had remained firm quarter-on-quarter.

“We’ve seen improvements in numbers on feed in Victoria, NSW and Western Australia (on the past quarter) – but a fall in Queensland has meant our overall national numbers remained steady,” Mrs Madden said.

The number of cattle on feed in Queensland is 100,000 lower than last year, accounting for most of the year-on-year fall.

“We’ve seen an adjustment in Queensland numbers on feed reflective of market conditions and previous cattle buy-in pressures that have impacted margins,” Mrs Madden said.

“The good news is our national capacity grew yet again with a further 22,689 head or 1.5 per cent throughout the March quarter to total 1.56 million head, reflecting further investment and confidence in the role feedlots play in Australia’s beef supply chain.”

The lower number in feedlots has flowed through to the turnoff, with 662,744 sold in the March quarter, 10 per cent lower than last March.

But MLA senior market information analyst Ripley Atkinson said year-on-year grain-fed beef export figures for the quarter were in good shape.

“Our quarter-on-quarter exports for March this year have remained steady – but when you look at year-on-year numbers, we’re seeing a lift of 6 per cent or 4,313 tonnes, and that’s encouraging,” Mr Atkinson said.