The vast majority of cattle in Australia are grass-fed. However this tells us nothing about the beef being sold in supermarkets and butcher shops. In fact, 80% of the beef being sold in these places is 'feedlot finished' (fattened with grain). There are currently about 720,000 head of cattle in Australia's feedlots. Each animal has five to 10 square metres of space in a pen of 50 to 200 cattle. In these cramped conditions, cattle are forced to stand and sleep in their own manure and endure extremes of weather.

Close confinement means a much higher risk of disease so antibiotic drugs are routinely used. Grain feed commonly causes their digestive systems to be acidic.