Other Names
- Bowen Freezing works
- Merinda abattoir
Current Operation
- Closed 19972
- Other articles cite closure as 1996.4
Location
- Merinda – 6 miles from Bowen
Hema Maps – Australia Truckies atlas.
Owner
- Bergl (Australia) Ltd3
- Thomas Borthwick & Son – owned 5-6 abattoirs in Australia (1933)3
- AMH (1986)2
- Nippon Meats (Japanese) purchased 1989.4
- Nippon Meat Packers6
- Subsidiary of a Japanese Multinational
- Nippon meat packers incorporated 19786
-
Source Nippon Meat Packers Australia interactive beef products
This is a great diagram that is able to be clicked on in the Nippon website and illustrates where the various cuts of beef and offal are located in the animals bodies
- Nippon currently own 3 operating abattoirs in Australia ( as at 2016)
Operation
- Purchased stock from Western QLD & NT
History of Bowen Meatworks
1890’s
- Recognition that the export trade of meat needs to be developed for the economic benefit of Australian producers (Pg 1041).9
- Existing low values are due to fact that half to one third of surplus meat is exported.9
- Should be exporting 250,000 to 300,000 carcases of beef.9
- £1M pounds is required to construct meatworks.9
- If not constructed £10M pounds could be added to existing capital of the banks and still their securities would be unprofitable(Pg 1042).9
- Parliament develope “The Meat and Dairy Produce Encouragement Act”(Pg 1042).9
- Levy imposed on both cattle and sheep.9
- 2 funds .9
- Dairying herds
- Beef herds
- Fund allows for establishment of meatworks at.9
- Pinkenba
- Bowen
- Redbank
- Cardwell
- Broadsound
- Gladstone
- Brisbane
- Charleville
- Mackay
- Biboohra (Mareeba)
- Burketown and
- Sellheim
1894
- Operation was started by local cattlemen.11
- Cattle were selling for as low as 30/ per head.11
- Only in operation for one year.11
- Bergl purchased
- Had connections with Houlden Bros – Boats known as Grange Line.11
- Works employed 200-400 men.11
- Killed an average of 15,000 cattle per annum.11
- the best year being 30,000 head.11
1905
- Bergl Australia acquire the small plant, at this time known as Merinda.9
- Prior to this had been by Bowen Meat Export and Agency Co.10
1919
- In operation
1932
- November. Bowen works is purchased by Borthwick’s with the intention of commencement of export operations in 1933.11
- Borthwicks had been operating Burdekin meatworks previous 2-3 years.11
- have not continued with the lease.11
- Prior to Borthwicks purchase the Bowen meatworks had been idle for sometime.11
- Bergl had installed modern machinery in the previous year.11
- Bergl did not intend to carry on in QLD.11
- Borthwicks had obtained prominent army contracts.11
- In 1923 securing bulk of the war office yearly contract of 6,000 tonnes for home command.11
1933
- Borthwick & Son purchased. Rebuilt and made extensions.3
Source – QLD National State Library. #137304
Thomas Borthwick & Sons Freezing works. Undated
1941
- Oil stove used to heat bitumen to seal cork insulation in the storage section caught fire3
- Was 800t of meat in the store at the time.3
- 300 employees killing 376 cattle a day for export
Source QLD National Library. #137256
Thomas Borthwick & Sons Freezing works
1958
- Slaughter processing peak 58,500 head.10
1960’s
- Closed overnight – Lord Borthwick unable to meet demands of unions and strikes1
1963
- Is currently registered as a meat export works (Pg 314).5
- Proprietor – Thos. Borthwick & Sons (A/Asia) Ltd
1980’s
- The Australian beef trading/processing environment is worsening(Pg 119).5
- QLD Cattle herd in 1975 was 14M head.5
- QLD Cattle herd in 1987 is 9M.5
- There is low utilisation rates through meatworks and the need to reduce the number the meatworks is seen to improve efficency and reduce operational costs (Pg 120).5
- QLD Cattle herd in 1975 was 14M head.5
1983
- Federal Industries Assistance Commission produce a report that reveals the Australian meat processing industry has 38% excess capacity (Pg 126).7
1986
- April. Joint Venture Proposal is begun to amalgamate.7
- FJ Walkers (Owned by Elders IXL)
- Already own 10 abattoirs, including 4 key export works and meat packing plants in Australia (Pg 119).5
- Metro Meat Industries
- Smorgon Consolidated Industries
- Tancred Bros
- Thomas Borthwick & Sons
- Borthwicks to add their plants of Mackay (QLD) and Bowen.7
- FJ Walkers (Owned by Elders IXL)
- Wide spread concern of potential domination of the QLD beef market by the merger entity (Pg 127).7
- May. Trade Practices Commission (TPC) holds a investigation.7
- June. TPC announce will not place legal impediment to the merger.7
- July. Borthwicks withdraw from talks(pg 120).5
- Borthwicks had operation problems of it’s own and wanted to sell all Australian assets including hides and skin processing not just jewels of Bowen and Mackay.5
- Portland (Vic) would be particularly difficult to sell due to union unrest.5
1987
- Is listed in Aus-Meat Accreditation List as Establisment #723.8
- Borthwick. T & Sons Ltd.
1988
- January. Teys Brothers are in discussion with Borthwick to purchase Borthwick Australian assets and a Japanese branch of the company (Pg 121).5
- Teys had been in a joint venture with Canada Packers (Pg 121).5
- Canada Packers withdrew from the joint venture which influenced Teys to seek financial backing from Kerry Packer in bidding for the Borthwick assets
- Purchase price $25M Australian
- AMH saw the ‘new entrant’, Teys as a threat to AMH’s ability to remain profitable and achieve further rationalisation in the northern region (Pg 122).5
- AMH commented that Borthwick operations were the main price competition in QLD (Pg 122).5
- If Borthwicks not in the market AMH would earn $10 a head more per animal.5
- AMH offered Borthwicks $29M for Australian Assets (Pg 122)
- TPC advised AMH not to proceed without their consultation as they would likely contravene Sec 50 Trade Practices Act and likely dominate the QLD cattle market (Pg 123).5
- TPC placed an injunction for AMH to withdraw offer (Pg 123).5
- AMH resisted arguing the the order would likely allow Teys to purchase without actual determination of contravention of section 50.5
- AMH offered undertaking that Borthwicks business’s would be maintained and conducted independently and in competition with the business of AMH.5
- TPC accepted but possible divestiture order was of significant commercial risk to AMH.5
- TPC announced an inquiry was to be held.5
- Borthwicks sale to AMH was accepted 26/01/1988
- Borthwick Hides and skins business were immediately sold.5
- All remaining parts of Borthwicks were combined with AMH
- February. TPC begins inquiry.5
- TPC accepts that northern QLD is a seperate market to central and southern QLD.5
- AMH control 5 of the 10 abattoirs in the region.5
- Bowen abattoir could lift total regional slaughter capacity to over 76.76%.5
- TPC ruled AMH had contravened section 50.5
- Ruling was AMH must divest itself of Bowen & Mackay
- Could retain control of Portland (pg 128).7
- 3 months to do so
- appeals and cross appeals conducted.
- Ruling was AMH must divest itself of Bowen & Mackay
- Trade Practices Commission forced sale due to AMH having dominant market share.2
- March. TPC final judgement ruling on AMH case (Pg 123).5
- Case is held as precedent on what constitutes the geographical limits of a product market
- While the court case was in process AMH had been operating the plants(Pg 123).5
- Profits from them had been above market expectations.5
- Bowen was of marginal importance
- Mackay was significant because of the access to lucrative Japanes market (Pg 128).7
- AMH offered QLD plants to Anglo Irish $32M (Pg 124).5
- initially Anglo Irish accepted but revalued plants at considerably less and withdrew from the deal
- TPC increased pressure on AMH to sell plants (pg 124).5
- If AMH didn’t sell them TPC would put plants up for public auction at market price
- Nippon Meat Packers, in consortium with Mackay Sugar to purchase the Bowen and Mackay plants (Pg 123,86).5
- reported $32M
1996
- Closed as part of Industry rationalisation.4
1997
- Closed.2
1998
- March. Petition – Abattoirs, presented to Parliament – 1,248 signatures. requesting4
- Revoke export licence for the Nippon Meat abattoirs at Mackay and Merinda: and4
- initiate a review of foreign investment guidelines in Australia to ensure that multi-national companies investing in Australia are bound by a code of conduct which protects the interests of all stakeholders, and not just overseas stakeholders.4
Sources
- Facebook KBS 16.01.13
- ‘Northern Australian Beef Industry – Assessment of opportunities and risks’ ABARE 2012
- ‘Fire Damages Bowen meat works’ Courier Mail 05.07.41
- House of Representatives Petition. Abattoirs. 09.03.1998.
- ‘World on a plate – A history of meat processing in Australia’ Stephen Martyn
- ‘Meat Processing in Australia’ IBIS World. June 2010
- ‘Employers & Industrial Relations in the Australian Meat Processing Industry’ J OLeary 2008
- ‘Aus-Meat Accreditation list November 1987
- QLD beef industry 1962. pdf
- ‘Triumph in the Tropics’ http://www.oesr.qld.gov.au 1959
- ‘Purchased by Borthwicks’ www.trove.nla.au 28.11.1932
Tagged: abattoir closures, Abattoir history, Abattoirs in Australia, abattoirs operating timelines, Australian abattoir, australian abattoir history, Australian meat processing, Australian meat processing facilities, Bowen abattoir, Bowen freezing works, Bowen meatworks, closed abattoir, Closed Australian abattoirs, Merinda abattoir, North Australian meatworks, Queensland abattoirs
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