Australia-Beef production up 2.9%.

Australia 4Q08 Beef Output 539,977M Tons, Up 2.9% On Year

AUSTRALIA-Beef production in Australia, a major global supplier, rose in the fourth quarter of 2008 to a trend estimate 539,977 metric tons from 538,504 tons in the third quarter, up 2.9% on year, the government’s Bureau of Statistics reported Monday. The total number of cattle slaughtered, excluding calves, in the fourth quarter was 2.03 million beasts, down 1.0% on quarter and down 3.6% on year, it reported.

Australian Agricultural Co To Sell 3, Buy 2 Cattle Stations

SYDNEY-Australian Agricultural Co. (AAC.AU) Monday said it plans to sell three cattle stations in Queensland state for A$152 million and purchase two others in the Northern Territory for A$105 million. The firm said in a statement that the sale of three of its seven stations in the Gulf of Carpentaria region includes 62,000 head of cattle, plant and equipment, and 481,000 hectares of land across the "Clonagh", "Kalmeta" and Gregory Downs" stations.