‘There’s 20% more methane than they thought’: new data confirms Australia has been undercounting cattle

The higher estimate of beef cattle numbers may have significant implications for the red meat industry’s greenhouse gas reporting. Photograph: Grenville Turner/AAP

Official figures have underestimated the number of cows in Australia by about 20%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found, after researchers suggested there could be as many as 10 million unreported cattle in Australia.

ABS agriculture statistics, released on Friday, estimated there were 27.8 million beef cattle across the country in 2023, a significant increase on previous years.