MARCH KEY TREND FIGURES

	Dec 2017	Mar 2018	Dec '17 to Mar '18	Mar '17 to Mar '18
Livestock (no.)
Cattle (excluding calves)	1 821 836	1 833 913	0.7%	3.8%
Calves	106 572	106 688	0.1%	9.7%
Sheep	1 988 572	1 996 353	0.4%	21.4%
Lambs	5 676 020	5 712 452	0.6%	1.2%
Pigs	1 341 262	1 353 996	0.9%	4.6%
Chickens	158 812 943	156 557 516	-1.4%	-4.1%

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Livestock products (t)
Beef	544 171	546 682	0.5%	5.1%
Veal	4 699	4 637	-1.3%	-2.7%
Mutton	48 744	48 251	-1.0%	15.9%
Lamb	129 276	130 220	0.7%	1.3%
Pig meat	103 613	104 375	0.7%	4.5%
Total red meat	830 502	834 164	0.4%	4.9%
Chicken meat	301 363	298 752	-0.9%	-2.8%
Brokers and dealers receivals of taxable wool	94 836	95 474	0.7%	0.0%

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Source(s): Livestock Products, Australia (cat. no. 7215.0)

Source(s): Livestock Products, Australia (cat. no. 7215.0)

KEY POINTS

Livestock slaughtering and meat production quarterly trend movements for March 2018:

• Cattle slaughter increased 12,080 head (or 0.7%) compared with the December quarter and increased by 67,890 head (or 3.8%) year on year.
• The number of calves slaughtered increased marginally (by 120 head or 0.1%) when compared to the December quarter and increased 9,400 head (or 9.7%) year on year.
• Sheep slaughter increased by 7,780 head (or 0.4%) compared with the December quarter and increased by 351,600 head or (21.4%) year on year.
• Lamb slaughter increased 36,400 head (or 0.6%) compared with the December quarter and increased by 68,600 head (or 1.2%) year on year.
• Pig slaughter increased by 12,700 head (or 0.9%) compared with the December quarter and increased by 59,000 head (or 4.6%) year on year.
• Chicken production decreased by 2,610 tonnes (or 0.9%) compared with the December quarter and decreased by 8,670 tonnes (or 2.8%) year on year.
• Receivals of wool increased by 640 tonnes (or 0.7%) compared with the December quarter and decreased by 20 tonnes year on year.