🇦🇺 The cattle breeds of Australia

Cattle are central to Australian farming. Beef is the largest agricultural enterprise, and most Australian beef is sold abroad. Herds range from small mixed farms in the south to vast stations on native pasture in the north, using British and European breeds in cooler regions and zebu breeds in the tropics.

• Beef is Australia's largest agricultural enterprise.
• Australia is the world's second largest beef exporter, behind Brazil.
• More than 60% of Australian beef is exported, mainly to Japan, Korea and the United States.
• No cattle existed in Australia before European settlement.
• Southern herds are mainly Bos taurus; northern herds mainly Bos indicus.

Cattle in Australia

Cattle came to Australia with European settlers; none were here beforehand. The modern herd is mostly British and European cattle (Bos taurus) in the south, where Hereford and Aberdeen Angus are the commonest breeds. In the north, Bos indicus cattle and their crosses dominate. These zebu-type animals were brought in for their resistance to cattle ticks and their ability to cope with heat. Cattle are bred in every state and territory, across many climates. The beef sector is the country's biggest farming enterprise and covers more than 200 million hectares. It looks outward: more than three in five tonnes of beef go overseas, chiefly to Japan, Korea and the United States.

The breeds

Southern Australia's best-known cattle are Hereford and Aberdeen Angus, both British and European breeds of the Bos taurus group. Northern Australia is dominated by Bos indicus cattle and their crosses. These zebu-type animals were introduced because they resist cattle ticks and tolerate hot weather better than the British breeds. The broad pattern is therefore a temperate-zone herd in the south and a tropical-adapted herd in the north.

Regions and communities

Southern Australia, meaning Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and south-western Western Australia, has smaller cattle properties, often mixed with cropping or sheep. The north and inland are different. In the Top End, sub-tropical areas and arid country, cattle run on native pasture on expansive stations. Cattle breeding is found in every state and territory and across a wide range of climates.

Milk, butter and beef

Beef is the main cattle product. Australia is the second largest beef exporter in the world, behind Brazil, and over 60% of its beef goes abroad, mainly to Japan, Korea and the United States. In the past, meat had to be frozen for British markets; later beef could be sent chilled. The dairy industry was tightly regulated until the 1980s. Before deregulation, 23,000 farmers produced 5 billion litres of milk; afterwards, 13,000 farmers produced 10 billion litres. Feedlot dairying is becoming more common.

Today

Beef remains Australia's largest agricultural enterprise, and every state and territory raises cattle. More than 60% of beef is exported. Since dairy deregulation, there are fewer dairy farmers but more milk is produced, and feedlot systems are spreading. Cattle were absent before European settlement, so the modern herd is entirely made up of introduced breeds. The main divide is still southern Bos taurus cattle and northern Bos indicus cattle.