How many cattle are there in Australia? We may be out by 10 million
Written by Aston Brown from the Guardian
Official estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics put the national herd at 26 million, but a CSIRO study says there could be up to 35 million
Australia has underestimated how many cattle it has by about 10 million, with significant implications for tracking greenhouse gas emissions, a Queensland researcher has said.
Cows’ methane-laden burps are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by the red meat sector, which has an aspirational goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Official estimates, published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, state there are 26 million beef and dairy cattle in Australia in 2024.
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Written by Aston Brown from the Guardian
Official estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics put the national herd at 26 million, but a CSIRO study says there could be up to 35 million
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Australia has underestimated how many cattle it has by about 10 million, with significant implications for tracking greenhouse gas emissions, a Queensland researcher has said.
Cows’ methane-laden burps are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by the red meat sector, which has an aspirational goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Official estimates, published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, state there are 26 million beef and dairy cattle in Australia in 2024.
Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter
Continue reading...
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. Support the Guardian – it only takes a minute. Thank you.
