Running on empty

Livestock | 7th March 2022 | By Matt Dalgleish

The Snapshot

  • As at the 4th March weekly east coast  sale yard cattle throughput dipped 36% to register just 30,305 head.
  • The impact of the reduced cattle flows were most felt in Queensland with weekly yarding levels constricting by 56% on the week prior.
  • In NSW cattle throughput was lower too, but nowhere near the degree seen further north, with volumes off by 18%.
  • Victorian cattle throughput dropped by 19% to rest near the lower end of the “normal” range seen for early March.

The Detail

Weekly east coast cattle volumes eased noticeably last week as the impact of the northern floods made their presence felt. As at the 4th March sale yard cattle throughput dipped 36% to register just 30,305 head. Compared to this week in 2021 volumes were down by 26% and looking at the five-year average trend the numbers were even more tight with weekly throughput running nearly 41% softer.

The impact of the reduced cattle flows were most felt in Queensland with weekly yarding levels constricting by 56% on the week prior. There were just 9,454 cattle reported at sale yards in Queensland for the week ending the 4th of March, which is nearly 43% below the seasonal average for this week in the year, as outlined by the five-year average pattern.

In NSW cattle throughput was lower too, but nowhere near the degree seen further north, with volumes off by 18% to 12,878 head for the week. Cattle yarding volumes were similar to this time last season, although compared to the five-year average pattern they were demonstrating similar levels of tight supply seen in Queensland, sitting 42% off the pace of the seasonal average trend.

Victoria has been relatively unaffected by the flooding seen in NSW and Queensland. However that didn’t stop yarding numbers easing too. Weekly cattle throughput dropped by 19% to 6,152 head to sit near the lower end of the “normal” range seen for early March. Compared to the five-year average pattern Victorian cattle sale yard throughput is running nearly 37% below trend.

Tags

  • Beef
  • Cattle
  • Throughput
  • Supply and Demand