Agriculture in the Future
Water4Food Association chairman Terry Hogan puts it in a global context:
“We need to make our city cousins aware the tsunami coming is not climate change, it’s food security.”
Northern Australia
Australia provides a stable political and social platform with a relatively disease free animal production environment.
Northern Australia accounts for the majority of Australia’s exports of live cattle. In recent years, more than 80 per cent of total live cattle exports, including most slaughter and feeder cattle, have been sourced from Northern Australia. South East Asian and Middle Eastern markets remain the main destinations for Northern Australian live cattle exports, with Indonesia the most important of these.
Outlook for Australian Beef
Australia is the world’s second largest exporter of beef but only the seventh largest producer. The Australian weighted average sale yard price of cattle is forecast to increase by 3 per cent in 2008-09 to 295 cents a kilogram (dressed weight).The forecast increase in prices reflects a decline in slaughter numbers, particularly of cows and heifers, and an increase in restocking demand as producers begin to rebuild herds, assuming average seasonal conditions for the rest of the year.
Useful Links
Prospects for Queensland's primary industries 2008-09
