Meat outlook to 2008-09: Exports becoming increasingly important to livestock industries

• The drought has resulted in a significant cut in the size of the Australian cattle herd. Producer efforts to rebuild herds will limit beef production in the short term and it is likely be several years before cattle numbers recover to predrought levels. • With limited opportunities for further growth in Australian domestic demand and increasing production of beef and veal over the medium term, Australia's dependence on export markets will continue to increase. • In the pig meat industry, sow numbers are expected to recover moderately in the medium term as feed grain prices fall from recent highs. • Poultry meat consumption per person is projected to continue its long term upward trend.