Australia reports increase in goat meat production

Goat MEAT production in Australia is at its highest level in the last two and a half years. Goat meat production exceeded 6,000 tons for the first time since March 2019. Goat slaughter was 344,000 in the third quarter, up 81% from last year and up 32% from the June quarter, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

Carcass weight remained above 17 kg for the third quarter in a row, due in part to improved seasonal conditions and an abundance of forage. However, the increase in goat carcass weight can also be explained by the industry's move to regulated goat operations, where producers do not process all harvested goats (both small and large). Instead, they are now keeping the lighter goats in fattening longer and growing them to heavier weights.

Goat production is still concentrated in the states of Victoria and Queensland, where 88% of the goats are processed. However, most of the goats processed in these states come from New South Wales.