We’ve got to return to 2014 to discover a December quarter with larger cattle slaughter than was recorded final 12 months. Whereas it fell from the extremes of the September quarter, it was 8% larger 12 months on 12 months, and 36% above the five-year common. This introduced the 2025 whole cattle slaughter to 26% above the typical, and 12% larger than the earlier 12 months. Reflecting the development in market situations, regardless of much less cattle slaughtered within the December quarter in comparison with the September interval, the gross worth of these cattle elevated 2.4% to $5.6 billion. To place this into perspective, the December quarter 2023 gross worth determine was simply $2.9 billion.
The Feminine Slaughter Fee nationally declined lower than 1% from the earlier quarter in December, to sit down at 52%, about on par with the year-ago determine. This was 12% above the five-year common for the quarter, and the very best October-December FSR since 2019. The story of two seasonal situations continued to play out within the cattle kill. NSW FSR remained at 63%, the place it had sat for the 2 quarters prior, and meant a 2025 common of 60%. This quarterly FSR was as excessive because it had been for not less than the previous 15 years.
Within the north nonetheless, Queensland FSR fell to 38% in December, its lowest quarterly determine since December 2023, and fewer than 2% above the five-year common. And regardless that it was above the typical FSR for the quarter, yearly figures, we are able to see it has solely been beneath 38% within the fourth quarter twice prior to now decade. Victorian FSR has a stronger affect from dairy business sentiment and cow turn-off than the remainder of the nation however evaluating it to Queensland offers us a have a look at feminine throughput final 12 months. On five-year common figures, Victoria’s annual precise feminine slaughter is 25% beneath Queensland. In 2025, it was simply 3% decrease.
