2023: A year in review of NLRS slaughter

The weekly National Livestock Reporting Service (NLRS) slaughter report remained an important resource in 2023, producing weekly reports on slaughter figures gathered voluntarily from processors across the country.

As climate forecasts, producer confidence and market volatility met with herd and flock sizes not seen in over a decade, processors were forced to keep up with the massive supply of sheepmeat and cattle.

Cattle slaughter

NLRS cattle slaughter numbers for 2023 came in at 5,752,687, 24% above 2022 figures and 14% higher than the five-year average – the largest annual slaughter figure in three years. QLD made up the majority of production at 52%, followed by NSW at 23% and Victoria at 13%. SA and TAS had their biggest month of processing in June, while the rest of the country peaked in September, contrary to 2022 when numbers dipped in the ninth month.

Sheepmeat

The sheepmeat processing sector provided some interesting figures across the year. With prices of lamb and mutton shifting week to week, processors were able to capitalise on market movements to ensure their full kill floors were profit optimised. Slaughter levels were the highest they have been since 2019 for both sheep and lamb.

NLRS Lamb slaughter clocked in at 20,671,026 over the year, 8% higher than 2022, and 28% higher than the five-year average. Victoria processed nearly half of the annual slaughter at 49%, NSW 26% and the last quarter going through QLD, SA, TAS and WA sites. September was the peak for slaughter numbers in all states bar Tasmania, which peaked in June.

For sheep, NLRS slaughter numbers spiked to 7,681,730 head over the year, a huge 44% increase on 2022 numbers and 36% above the five-year average. Different to lamb slaughter, NSW held the trophy for sheep slaughter figures with 41%, followed by Victoria and WA at 29% and 20% respectively.

Lamb

Sheep

Sheepmeat

Note: 2023 NLRS slaughter figures in this article are inclusive to the week of 15 December 2023.