DECEMBER KEY FIGURES

		Dec Qtr 2005	Sep Qtr 2006	Dec Qtr 2006
TREND ESTIMATES		'000	'000	'000
Number slaughtered
	Cattle	1 878.7	2 004.7	2 056.7
	Calves	207.6	222.1	241.8
	Sheep	2 920.6	3 354.1	3 595.0
	Lambs	4 616.5	4 961.8	5 025.8
	Pigs	1 349.2	1 326.6	1 329.7
	Chickens	109 351.4	111 846.2	112 577.0

		Dec Qtr 2005	Sep Qtr 2006	Dec Qtr 2006
		tonnes	tonnes	tonnes
Meat produced
	Beef	507 797	543 504	555 151
	Veal	6 876	7 435	7 992
	Mutton	60 156	69 036	73 307
	Lamb	94 217	101 958	103 167
	Pig meat	97 700	95 290	95 063
	Chicken meat	191 923	200 074	200 058
Wool receivals		121 723	117 578	113 123

	Sep Qtr 2005	Jun Qtr 2006	Sep Qtr 2006
	ML	ML	ML
Whole milk intake by factories	2 539	2 602	2 656

Cattle slaughterings, Excluding calves - Trend

Sheep and lamb slaughterings, Trend

DECEMBER KEY POINTS


TREND ESTIMATES

• In December quarter 2006, the trend estimate for the number of cattle slaughtered increased by 3% to 2.1 million.
• In December quarter 2006, the trend estimate for the number of sheep slaughtered increased by 7% to 3.6 million.
• In December quarter 2006, the trend estimate for the number of lambs slaughtered increased slightly to 5.0 million.
• In December quarter 2006, the trend estimate for pigs slaughtered remained steady at 1.3 million.

NOTES

FORTHCOMING ISSUES

ISSUE (QUARTER)	Release Date
March 2007	14 May 2007
June 2007	14 August 2007
September 2007	14 November 2007

CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE

There are no changes in this issue.

FORTHCOMING CHANGES

There are no forthcoming changes.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Frank Costin on Hobart (03) 6222 5838.

SUMMARY COMMENTARY


WHOLE MILK INTAKE BY FACTORIES

The trend estimate for whole milk intake by factories in September quarter 2006 increased by 2% to 2.7 billion litres.

BROKERS AND DEALERS RECEIVALS OF TAXABLE WOOL

The trend estimate for wool receivals by brokers and dealers in December quarter 2006 decreased by 4% to 113,000 tonnes.

CATTLE (EXCLUDING CALVES)

The trend estimate for the number of cattle slaughtered in December quarter 2006 increased by 3% to 2.1 million.

CALVES

The trend estimate for the number of calves slaughtered in December quarter 2006 increased by 9% to 242,000.

SHEEP AND LAMBS

In December quarter 2006, the trend estimate for the number of sheep slaughtered increased by 7% to 3.6 million. The number of lambs slaughtered increased slightly to 5.0 million.

PIGS

In December quarter 2006, the trend estimate for the number of pigs slaughtered remained steady at 1.3 million.

BEEF

In December quarter 2006, the trend estimate for beef production increased by 2% to 555,000 tonnes.

MUTTON AND LAMB

In December quarter 2006, the trend estimate for mutton production increased by 6% to 73,300 tonnes. The trend estimate for lamb production increased slightly to 103,000 tonnes.

TOTAL RED MEAT

The trend estimate for red meat production increased by 2% to 835,000 tonnes in December quarter 2006.

CHICKEN MEAT

The trend estimate for chicken meat production remained steady at 200,000 tonnes in December quarter 2006.

EXPORTS OF LIVE SHEEP

Live sheep exports rose by 19% to 1.4 million in December quarter 2006. Gross value rose by 17% for the quarter, up to $97.8 million. Unit value fell by 2% to $70.40.

EXPORTS OF LIVE CATTLE

In December quarter 2006, live cattle exports fell by 27% to 136,000. Gross value fell by 26% for the quarter, down to $94.2 million. Unit value rose by 2% to $692.44.