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Upturn steers beef towards brighter future
9 Jun 2004
The drought, falling prices and the strong $AUD have made life tough for livestock farmers in recent years. But now things seem to be improving, with the $AUD lower and less competition from the US. Demand for beef is now outstripping supply.
The sale of 5,200 head of cattle at Roma yesterday confirmed the positive outlook, with steers and heifers recording gains of up to 10 cents/kilogram. But an auctioneer said while cattle price rises are good news for producers, they're countered by the fact that they have fewer cattle to sell. Many producers are only functioning at 50-60 per cent capacity as they were forced to sell off stock during the drought.
Both auctioneers and producers agreed that the future for export markets look sound. Domestic consumers will have to pay extra for their beef, however.
The Courier-Mail, 9/6/04.
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