WA feedlot numbers continue to surge as global demand for Australian boxed beef booms

WA feedlotters are feeling positive about the year ahead with 51,235 head of cattle on feed in March and grain fed beef exports continuing to surge to record highs.

The latest WA figures were revealed in the latest national feedlot survey by the Australian Lot Feeders Association and Meat and Livestock Australia and published earlier month.

Australian feedlot numbers climbed to record levels in March, with 1.49 million head in feedlots across the country by the end of the month.

Nationally, feedlots were at 90 per cent capacity, which industry refers to as feedlot utilisation.

WA Lot Feeders Association president Lucy Morris, the senior operations manager at TW Pearson and Son, said the State’s feedlot sector was feeling positive about demand for feedlot space and grainfed beef.

“The tight summer period and lack of rainfall throughout the southern areas of the State has brought some opportunities for feedlots to access additional feeder cattle which came onto the market as a result,” she said,

“Demand for WA grain fed beef seems to be on the rise with China looking for alternatives to the US market, and subsequently other markets are seeking to fill the void created by the demand from China.

“This is really positive for WA and there will be opportunities to gain ground in markets especially throughout South East Asia where we have a freight proximity advantage over our competitors.”

While WA’s feedlot numbers were hovering at 10 per cent above the same quarter last year, the report noted feedlot utilisation was 71 per cent with capacity remaining flat at 89 per cent.

Comparatively, drought-like conditions plaguing farmers in South Australia and Victoria had sent feedlot utilisation in the latter soaring to more than 90 per cent — the State’s highest since 2019.

Meat and Livestock Australia senior market analyst Erin Lukey said it was important to note that WA’s feedlot sector was “largely seasonal” and traditionally peaked in March.

She said the national and WA results highlighted the adaptability of the lot feeding sector and how it could respond to shifting seasonal and market conditions.

“Australia is currently facing a stark contrast in seasonal conditions: the south is experiencing sustained dry weather, with SA, Victoria, and parts of NSW experiencing poor pasture and feed availability,” she said.

“As a result, many producers have turned to feedlots to finish cattle to hit target weights through short-feeding programs.”

Australia exported a record amount of beef in April, at 127,000 tonnes, with China ramping up is imports after ceasing imports from the US on the back of US President Donald Trump’s controversial trade tariffs.

But the US remains Australia’s biggest beef customer, taking 37,213t compared to China’s 21,572t.

WA’s feedlot sector is seasonal in nature, and typically peaks during the first and last quarters of the year.

Queensland is the nation’s feedlotting capital, with more than 850,000 cattle on feed in March, followed by NSW at 442,735, South Australia at 71,060 and Victoria at 69,613.