Livestock

Our Industry

Western Australia produces a large variety of meat products incuding beef, lamb, goat, mutton, pork, alpaca, deer and poultry, and is Australia's largest exporter of live sheep and cattle. The industry is valued at around $2 billion and contributes to 26% of Western Australia's agricultural production. Western Australia is considered a world leader due to our high standards for livestock care, exporting conditions and biosecurity practises.

Where is it produced?

Livestock is produced in a wide-range of regions in Western Australia, from beef cattle in northern rangelands to the sheep, poultry and pigs in the south west. The distribution and stocking density of livestock production is predominately dependent on climatic variations such as rainfall patterns, in addition to pastoral production. Properties in the southern agricultural region tend to smaller than those in the north, but operate at higher stocking rates due to the increased availability of higher quality feed.

The West Australian Herd

There is approximately 2 million cattle within the Western Australian herd, distributed from the northern rangelands, to the southern agricultural region. Over 66% of beef produced in Western Australia is consumed domestically, while the other 33% contributes to live, frozen or chilled export. Overall, the idustry is estimated to be valued at $857.4 million. The industry is comprised of over 4000 beef enterprises, with over 25% owning more than 500 head.

Pork

In comparison to the beef and sheep industry, the majority of pork produced in Western Australia is consumed domestically, with only 20% exported.

The industry is valued at $130 million and contributes to 12% of the pork produced in Australia.

The wide availability of feed grain such as lupins and barley has strengthened the industry and enabled the production of high quality pork, right here in Western Australia!

Poultry

Poultry is an important agricultural industry within Western Australia, producing both meat and eggs. As opposed to other commodities such as beef and pork, the domestic consumption of poultry has been steadily increasing in recent years. Poultry for meat production are produced using a range of systems including:

Organic: the animals are not given any antibiotics or fed anything that has been exposed to pesticides or insecticides
Free range: the animals have access to the outdoors
Barn: chickens are grown in large sheds with straw material covering the floor

In comparison to other countries, no domestic chickens are grown in cages or fed growth enhancing hormones. To ensure the best welfare for Western Australian chickens, all producers must follow regulations set by the state and commonwealth government.

Goats

The West Australian goat industry is rather small, with majority of goat production occuring within the southern rangelands.

Despite it's size, the idustry is still valued at approximately $3.5 million per year.

It's estimated that only 10% of goat meat is consumed domestically while the rest is exported to international markets such as Asia and North America.

The West Australian Flock

Western Australia is a leading producer of lamb and mutton, with. a flock of over 14.3 million sheep. Over 30% of all mutton and lamb produce is exported to over 100 countries, valued at approximately $561 million.

Majority of sheep production takes place in the south west agricultural region charcterised by hot dry summers, and mild, wet winters. Sheep are normally produced in conjunction with other commodities such as grain on family owned, broadacre enterprises.