The Queensland government has gotten behind a possible abattoir in the north-west of the state, because they say it will provide more opportunities for producers.
The potential meat works, earmarked for Cloncurry, would offer options for meat cattle producers throughout the whole of Queensland, according to Queensland’s
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister John McVeigh.
He said since Queensland is the largest cattle producing state in Australia, accounting for almost 50 per cent of Australian beef and up to 10 per cent of live cattle exports, it makes sense for a new abattoir to be developed in the region.
“Cattle producers in the Gulf-Savannah and Mt Isa to Townsville (MITEZ) regions of Queensland are faced with expensive cattle transportation to southern feedlots, south east Queensland processors or live export ports in the north,” he said.
A local abattoir would lower the cost of supply chains for graziers and there would be significant advantages to building the meat works in Cloncurry, he said.
McVeigh believes the proposed site would offer good road access across north west Queensland and through to the Northern Territory, suitable finishing areas and future irrigated fodder production areas.
“It is now up to commercial operators or joint venture capitalists to get on board this amazing opportunity to help turn this opportunity into a reality,” McVeigh said.
But Regional Australia Minister Simon Crean has voiced some concerns over the plans, saying operators and investors would have to be convinced about the abattoir’s potential for it to go ahead.
In June, when it was revealed that the Cloncurry plant and another in Darwin were planned for Australia’s north, Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter, said the close proximity of the facilities will not be a problem.
North Beef member and cattle producer Rob Atkinson requested MITEZ organise the initial study into a North West abattoir.
He now says the findings in the report have added “weight and proof” to the argument that a meat works was a viable and sustainable proposal for North West Queensland.
Atkinson agreed with McVeigh, saying a Cloncurry meat works would be hugely beneficial to cattle producers across the state.
“It costs a lot less in freight for boxed beef rather than live cattle,” he said.
“It has animal welfare benefits, with a processing plant closer to where the animals are reared it means less time in trucks for them.
“There will be a lot less road damage by the trucks and less driver fatigue issues.”
“When we cart live cattle a long way we get what we call shrinkage, which is dehydration of the animals while they’re in the trucks.
“As a producer because we’re paid by meat works on carcass weight if there’s been “shrinkage” it’s less profitable for the producer.
“A nearby meat works would reduce that factor. “
Are you a Queensland cattle producer? What do you think of the proposed meat works?