7112.0 - Selected Agricultural Commodities, Australia, Preliminary, 2005-06  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 26/07/2007   
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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS LIVESTOCK


LIVESTOCK

Milk cattle

Near final estimates indicate the number of milk cattle in Australia was 2.8 million head at 30 June 2006. Victoria continued to dominate the dairy industry with a herd of 1.8 million. Respondents in Victoria indicated that numbers there were affected by a slow recovery from drought combined with low milk prices.


Meat cattle

Near final estimates indicate the number of meat cattle in Australia was 26.1 million head at 30 June 2006. The dominant states in the industry were Queensland with 11.8 million head and New South Wales with 5.8 million head.


Sheep and lambs

Near final estimates indicate the number of sheep and lambs in Australia was 92.7 million head at 30 June 2006. The dominant states in the industry were New South Wales with 31.7 million head, Western Australia with 23.3 million head and Victoria with 18.3 million head. Respondents indicated that there was significant destocking during the year, including on-farm deaths. The number of lambs marked in Australia was reported as 35.7 million in 2005-06.


Pigs

Near final estimates indicate the number of pigs in Australia was 2.8 million head at 30 June 2006. The dominant states in the industry were Queensland with 717,000 head, New South Wales with 666,000 head and Victoria with 633,000 head.