The production of red meat made a significant contribution to South Australia's agricultural production.

A report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows red meat production to have a 23.1 percent share of the total gross value of the agricultural production of a state that relied long on exports and manufacturing.

The recent report shows South Australia having a 4.9 percent share in Australia's beef production. The constitutional monarchy also has a 21.3 percent share of Australia's lamb (excluding sheep) and a 26.1 percent share of Australia's pig meat production.

Between 1979 and 2007, the average beef production in South Australia averaged 22,200 tonnes per quarter. The volume of lamb and pig meat production more than doubled and exceeded beef production for the first time in the last quarter of 2007.

The ABS report also includes the effects of multiple periods of drought and poor market conditions for wool. A slip from 18 million to 10 million in the number of sheep can also be seen for the 1990 to 2009 period.

In the financial year 2008 – 2009, the South East Statistical Division (SD) was noted to account for 25 percent of the value of all meat production in the state. The Adelaide SD only contributed 2.4 percent during the same period.