The Australian Beef Herd

My observation on our recent trip to Australia is that black Aberdeen Angus rule the paddocks. They've always been a popular breed in Australia, now it is rare to see anything else. A few Herefords, and that was really about it. According to my trawling of the internet, cattle with some percentage of Angus genes make up around 50% of the national herd. We weren't far enough north to see what the numbers of Bos indicus type cattle were in comparison. But I didn't see any Charolais even in good beef country.

50% of the Australian national beef herd is raised in Queensland. As in France, the consumer preference is for grass fed, and Australian farms reflect that, with two-thirds of the herd out on pasture. To be sold as 'grass fed' a beast has to spend its entire life outdoors eating grass.