Pasture Livestock - Beef

Beef

Beef Sector in G21 Region

• The beef cattle industry is Victoria's most geographically extensive industry and production occurs across all regions of Victoria, but the most significant regions are the Western District, Gippsland, Ovens Murray and Goulburn regions. In G21 region, there are beef farming enterprises in every local government area (including Queenscliffe).

• There are 15,252 agricultural businesses carrying 2.4 million beef cattle in Victoria, representing 9% of the national beef herd, and only Queensland (12.6 million) and New South Wales (5.6 million) carry higher populations of beef cattle than Victoria. About 85% of the Victorian farms were specialised beef cattle farms and 15% were mixed beef/sheep and/or cropping farms. The number of beef cattle in Victoria has fluctuated between 2 and 3 million over the past 30 years. The average Victorian beef farm area has increased from less than 300 hectares in the 1960s to around 350 hectares currently. In G21 region the typical beef farming operation is much smaller, averaging around 40-50 hectares in the east of the region and around 70-80 hectares in the west (Colac Otway Shire).

• In 2014-15 there were an estimated 726 beef farming enterprises in the G21 region, carrying 78,902 head of cattle. This represents 5.1% of all beef production enterprises in Victoria and 3.4% of beef cattle. However, only 33% of these enterprises had a total estimated value of agricultural operations (EVAO) of more than $40,000 per annum, with 67% having an EVAO of $5,000 to $40,000 per annum. This implies that fewer than 240 beef farming enterprises are of a ‘commercial scale’.

• Feedlots are increasing in number, and about 7% of the beef cattle herd is grown out or finished in feedlots. Victorian feedlots predominantly produce beef for the domestic market, with shorter feeding regimes and higher turnover rates. There are approximately 50 specialised beef cattle feedlots in Victoria of which 31 are accredited under the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme.

• In the G21 region, listed beef feedlots include Te Mania Angus, Connewarre and Araluen Pastoral, Birregurra, and there are 8 listed beef feedlots in the wider regional municipalities of Corangamite, Moyne, and Glenelg. There are 21 licensed abattoirs supervised by PrimeSafe with a further 18 licensed abattoirs supervised by the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) in Victoria. Four are located in metropolitan Melbourne, while the rest are spread across regional centres. These abattoirs are not all involved in beef processing; some are dedicated to sheep processing and some are multi-species. The DAWR supervised beef processing abattoir in the G21 region is MC Herd Pty Ltd in Corio. Midfield Meats in Warrnambool, is another beef abattoir servicing the G21 region. Also servicing small and medium growers in G21 region is the Primesafe supervised Koallah Farm abattoir, in the nearby Corangamite Shire, with an objective to provide contract processing for emerging growers and grower groups.

Beef meat value adding companies in G21 include

• Challenge Meats, Breakwater. This company is a wholly owned subsidiary of MC Herd, which further processes beef, pork, lamb and chicken for sales to other manufacturers and the food service sector.

• Farm Foods, Breakwater, is an innovative business in the fresh meat manufacturing sector. Farm Foods has grown rapidly to become a significant manufacturing enterprise that focuses on adding value to red meat products making sausage, burgers, mince, meatloaf and meat snacks.

G21 Beef Value Chain