Higher beef output does not automatically mean a proportionally smaller herd

Meat & Livestock Australia’s September projection describes an unusual Australian cattle situation: high beef output is not being driven solely by a rapid drawdown of the herd. For 2026, MLA forecasts more than three million tonnes of beef production in carcass-weight terms, 9.6 million cattle slaughtered and a national herd of 30.8 million head. Compared with earlier expectations, the herd contraction is expected to be more gradual.