Australian Livestock Exports Slip

CANBERRA - May 6/02 - STAT -- Australian livestock exports slipped during March, according to data assembled by the Australian Livestock Export Corporation (LiveCorp).

Though total shipments of cattle and sheep were down during the month, the biggest disappointment for the industry is the continued erosion on cattle shipments.

Cattle exports during the first quarter of the year stood at 134,843 head, down from 188,200 during the January to March quarter last year and well below the 205,419 head shipped in the first quarter of the year 2000.

Though sheep clearance numbers have fallen behind last year's numbers, they remain well ahead of the opening quarter of 2002, when just 1,345,598 animals were exported, compared to 1,719,664 during the opening quarter of this year.

Exports of goats finished March at just 6,137 animals, an improvement on the 5,979 shipped during March 2001. So far this year, Australia has exported 74,279 goats, more than double the 30,064 head shipped during the first quarter last year.

          Australia -- Livestock Exports
                      (head)
Cattle                   2000        2001        2002
Jan                    69,680      51,749      35,860
Feb                    63,049      65,256      51,296
Mar                    72,690      71,195      47,687
Apr                    61,132      46,155
May                    81,624      67,463
Jun                    52,816      64,220
Jul                    89,490      79,954
Aug                    68,410      67,536
Sep                    80,987      85,774
Oct                    81,181      88,595
Nov                    75,508      77,780
Dec                    99,195      56,797
Jan-Mar               205,419     188,200     134,843
Total                 895,762     822,474     134,843
Sheep                    2000        2001        2002
Jan                   542,871     480,770     561,337
Feb                   398,370     591,694     623,901
Mar                   404,357     654,416     534,426
Apr                   487,318     421,897
May                   311,797     466,601
Jun                   332,064     472,498
Jul                   477,137     610,762
Aug                   349,201     472,882
Sep                   420,651     583,302
Oct                   706,174     486,137
Nov                   401,160     740,832
Dec                   595,900     819,423
Jan-Mar             1,345,598   1,726,880   1,719,664
Total               5,427,000   6,801,214   1,719,664
BASED on data from Australia's LiveCorp