Received a fax from Danny Tink, Peter Milling and Co, Dubbo reminding readers of the forthcoming 10th Annual Dubbo Poll Dorset Ram Sale to be held at Dubbo Showground on Tuesday September 7. The sale will commence at 10am and will feature 100 flock rams from some of our leading studs.
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The country’s beef and veal production declined in the 2009-10 fiscal year by a margin of one per cent. This decline was caused mainly by the prolonged drought in the early stages of the measuring period and wholesale flooding in the latter half.
The total of 7.69 million head was actually down 2.5 per cent but this was off-set to some extent by heavier carcase weights. Many people do not realise how dominant the State of Queensland is when it comes to beef production. In this survey period the number of cattle slaughtered stood at 3.4 million head or 1.02 million tonnes cold weight (cwt). NSW reached 482,121 tonnes cwt (up 3 per cent), Victoria at 366,902 tonnes was down nine per cent. South Australia increased production significantly while both Tasmania and Western Australia experienced major declines.
On Tuesday August 17 the cattle EYCI stood at 369.25c which was the strongest price setting for the last four years. Victoria had the top rating markets with the average price at 350c.
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Moving off on a tangent to beef prices we note that most of the major Australian banks forecast that the Australian dollar will remain high at least until the middle of 2011.
Their best guess is that the currency will fluctuate between 85 to 92 USc. This, if it happens to be the case, will be bad news for the processing sector which has struggled with the high value of the dollar and wild fluctuations of the currency.
From across the globe some of the following appear to be worthy of note:-
* Beef exports to the Middle East have risen 58 per cent year on year to the end of July. Egypt and Jordan provided the bulk of momentum while Saudi Arabia figures declined.
* Korean family disposable income rose 8.8 per cent in the most recent quarterly survey. This is the third consecutive rise. Many countries across the world are showing signs of economic recovery and as their income grows so does their desire for an increase in protein intake.
* Beef exports out of Brazil have increased by 10 per cent for the 2010 calendar year. The main targets have been the Middle East, Chile and the EU. Exports to Russia have declined in the same period by some 15 per cent.
* The Ministry of Agriculture in Japan has indicated that beef consumption in that country has lifted to 5.9kg/head of population. While this slight rise is appreciated it is still down from 7.6kg/head high of 2000 which was prior to the BSE outbreak.
* Currently the New Zealand sheep flock stands at 33.2 million head, up 2.5 per cent, while their cattle herd has declined to 3.9 million head, a drop of 4.3 per cent. Both sheep and beef producers in this country have shown signs of flock and herd rebuilding after many years of drought.
* Finally domestic cow slaughter in the US has contracted in recent months and this has led experts to suggest that beef imports will increase by two per cent year on year.
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