Australia-Cattle feed lot numbers down.

AUSTRALIA-FEED LOT NUMBERS DOWN.

The feedlot industry says the outlook remains positive despite a 10 per cent drop in the numbers of cattle on feed in Australia.

The figures, from the March quarter survey conducted by the Australian Lot Feeders Association and Meat and Livestock Australia, have fallen to around 650,000 head of cattle.

ALFA president, Jim Cudmore, says the declining numbers aren’t a surprise because there’s less demand for red meat amid the global financial crisis.

"Our sector of the industry is quite positive moving through the rest of this year and I think our forecast that we sort of came out with two or three months ago still hold true," he says.

"There is a demand for protein, albeit slightly reduced because of the economic situation across the world."