# Australia trims herd while China's appetite for beef trimmings grows  | Farm Online | ACT

> Rabobank's Q2 beef update says Australia's herd has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years as drought forces heavy cattle turn-off. Strong Chinese import demand is supporting beef prices, and the eastern young cattle indicator is around 471 cents/kg.

- Date: 2019-06-03 · published 2019-06-03T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: weather · region Australia · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/58564-australia-trims-herd-while-china-s-appetite-for-beef-trimmings-grows-farm
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Drought-driven herd liquidation tightens Australian beef supply, while firm Chinese import demand keeps prices supported. Prices remain volatile and depend on rainfall.

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2018-09-05 | [Australia's drought impact on cow markets - Seeking answers to the hard questions - Beef Central](https://feedsoft.ai/events/62969-australia-s-drought-impact-on-cow-markets-seeking-answers-to-the-hard-questions.md) | -0.0% | +3.5% |
| LCATTLE | 2018-08-22 | [US cattle herd expansion slowdown \| Meat & Livestock Australia](https://feedsoft.ai/events/63471-us-cattle-herd-expansion-slowdown-meat-and-livestock-australia.md) | -1.1% | +2.1% |
| LCATTLE | 2023-06-07 | [Get ready for higher beef prices this summer. Here’s why. - MarketWatch](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10087-get-ready-for-higher-beef-prices-this-summer-here-s-why-marketwatch.md) | +1.7% | -1.6% |
| LCATTLE | 2018-07-29 | [Eastern Australia’s drought is bad news for agribusinesses « ROGER MONTGOMERY](https://feedsoft.ai/events/63983-eastern-australia-s-drought-is-bad-news-for-agribusinesses-roger-montgomery.md) | +0.5% | -2.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-10-22 | [Trump calls for cheaper cattle, more grazing lands in effort to trim beef prices \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6336-trump-calls-for-cheaper-cattle-more-grazing-lands-in-effort-to-trim-beef-prices.md) | -3.8% | -7.9% |
| FCATTLE | 2018-08-22 | [US cattle herd expansion slowdown \| Meat & Livestock Australia](https://feedsoft.ai/events/63471-us-cattle-herd-expansion-slowdown-meat-and-livestock-australia.md) | +0.1% | +4.3% |
| FCATTLE | 2023-06-07 | [Get ready for higher beef prices this summer. Here’s why. - MarketWatch](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10087-get-ready-for-higher-beef-prices-this-summer-here-s-why-marketwatch.md) | -1.2% | -0.4% |
| FCATTLE | 2023-10-03 | [Australian Cattle Price Falls to Nine-Year Low as El Niño Looms - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10396-australian-cattle-price-falls-to-nine-year-low-as-el-nino-looms-bloomberg.md) | -2.5% | -6.2% |

## Sources

- farmonline.com.au: https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/6196224/australia-keeps-trimming-herd-as-chinas-beef-appetite-grows/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.