LAST week’s national adult cattle slaughter dropped sharply, as a result of direct and indirect impacts from Cyclone Alfred off the southern Queensland Coast.

National Livestock Reporting Service weekly slaughter data for the week ended Friday (7 March) was delayed this week due to public holidays on Monday in some states, but when released this morning, showed a 14,116 head deficit in national production on the week before.

Queensland, alone, lost almost 14,000 head compared with the previous week’s kill, with six plants either closed or on reduced shifts on Thursday and Friday last week.

The current week’s production tally will also be compromised when the next weekly report is issued next Tuesday, with up to seven plants in southern Queensland and northern NSW shuttered on Monday this week.

The list of recently closed facilities due to the cyclone includes JBS Dinmore; Australian Country Choice, Cannon Hill; Stanbroke, Grantham; Oakey Beef Exports, Oakey; Teys Beenleigh; and Northern Cooperative Meat Co, Casino. All are now re-open for business.

Port returns to work

Port of Brisbane, which closed for nine days from March 2, is now back under normal operations, with a backlog of chilled and frozen beef containers now being loaded.

“As per the Regional Harbour Master’s directions, the shipping channel is nearly back to full operations,” POB said yesterday in a statement. “Final surveys on the Northwest Channel have been completed and upstream of Pelican Banks will occur from late today and through tomorrow.”

Up to nine container vessels were at anchor in Moreton Bay earlier this week waiting for the Port of Brisbane to re-open. Many, including MSC’s Palatium III, and Cosco’s Tian Xiang He, moored either yesterday afternoon or this morning, vessel tracking sites show, relieving some of the built-up container pressure.

While Queensland bore the brunt of the cyclone impact, other states’ beef processing levels were little changed last week, the latest NLRS report shows.

New South Wales showed a small lift to 20,296 head, up about 1200 head on this time last year. Victoria picked up an additional 405 head to record 24,243 head last week, up 32pc on this time a year ago.

South Australia (3742 head) and Tasmania (4965 head) were little changed, while Western Australia recorded a weekly kill of 1777 head, down 28pc on the week before.

Female slaughter ratio remained high in some southern states impacted by dry conditions, with Victoria hitting almost 71pc, and NSW 57pc.