CANBERRA (Dow Jones)--Beef production in Australia, a major global supplier, rose in the fourth quarter of 2008 to a trend estimate 539,977 metric tons from 538,504 tons in the third quarter, up 2.9% on year, the government's Bureau of Statistics reported Monday.
The total number of cattle slaughtered, excluding calves, in the fourth quarter was 2.03 million beasts, down 1.0% on quarter and down 3.6% on year, it reported.
Australia, the second-biggest beef exporter in the world after Brazil, exports about two-thirds of its production, with the overall level of exports closely tied to production.
The bureau doesn't comment on the data.
Live cattle exports remained steady at 227,000 beasts in the fourth quarter from the third quarter while gross value of exports rose 19% on quarter to A$167 million. The unit value of exports also jumped 19% to A$737.23 per beast.
Live sheep exports rose 12% on quarter to 1.2 million head in the fourth quarter, with gross value leaping 17% on quarter to A$101 million and unit value edging 4% higher on quarter to A$82.21.
AUSTRALIAN MEAT PRODUCTION
(trend estimate, metric tons, carcass weight)
4Q 2008 3Q 2008 4Q 2007
Beef 539,977 538,504 524,836
Veal 6,599 6,523 6,812
Mutton 61,349 64,055 63,060
Lamb 104,153 101,803 111,754
Pigmeat 81,438 84,458 96,720
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics)
-By Ray Brindal, Dow Jones Newswires; 612-6208-0902; Ray.Brindal@dowjones.com