Floods see throughput dry up.

The Detail

East coast cattle yarding levels have slumped to levels not seen since January as flooding impacts livestock transport logistics in NSW and Queensland. The east coast throughput for the week ending 26th March declined 30% on the week prior to see just 26,025 head presented at the sale yard.

The drop in cattle volumes places weekly throughput at levels that are 36% below the five-year seasonal average trend for this week in the year.

Cattle yarding levels in New South Wales dropped by 47% on the week to register a meagre 6,296 head of cattle offered for sale, the lowest volumes have been since the first week in January when the markets were just opening up for the new year.

NSW cattle yarding levels are currently running 62% below the five-year average pattern and the season was already tight prior to the floods, so the recent rains have just exacerbated the supply constraints.

Indeed, average weekly cattle throughput in NSW is running at 11,100 head since the start of the season, compared to the nearly 18,000 head per week on average seen over the same time horizon in 2020. This places average weekly saleyard cattle supply in NSW 38% below levels seen last season.

Cattle throughput levels in Queensland have mirrored the drop in NSW to see just 9,644 head yarded for the week ending on the 26th March. This represents a level that is 27% below the five-year average for this time in the year and is a 23% drop on the levels registered for the previous week.