Livestock

About Livestock

The livestock industry is the largest contributor to the Greater Whitsunday region’s agricultural production; ABARES estimates the industry contributing $627.7 million in 2021 (46.53% of total agricultural value).¹ According to the Greater Whitsunday Agribusiness Supply Chain Baseline Study, the Greater Whitsundays is home to a herd of approximately 1 million cattle, accounting for 9.7% of the Queensland herd or 4.3% of the Australian herd.²

Beef is one of our region’s biggest exports. The industry is reasonably mature with producers engaged in projects like Future Beef, a collaboration between industry and Government aimed to assist supply chains increase production, profitability and sustainability. Large producers in the region are investing in conversion to organic beef production and a move towards regenerative agriculture by producers is also emerging, in response to global and local market demands.

The Greater Whitsunday’s strategic location in Queensland’s beef cattle supply chain allows for greater collaboration, connectivity and integration. It is a high-volume beef cattle region in terms of total numbers in herd size and the numbers of animals that pass through the region enroute to market. The industry is expanding as expected future global demand is high.²