Cressy. #19. Tas.

Cressy abattoir is better known as TQM. Located in Tasmania and processing sheep and lambs for export markets.

Other Names

• Tasmanian Quality Meats

Current Operation

• Currently operating at time of writing December 2013.

Location   

• Cressy is located on the Mainland of Tasmania approximately 50km south of Launceston
  

Hema Maps – Australia Truckies atlas.

Owner

• Tasmanian Quality Meats (TQM)¹
  • Co-Owners – Brian Oliver & John Talbot⁴
  • Managing director – Brian Oliver¹

Operation

• Processes and send lambs to export³

Source ABC Rural ‘ Stopping Sheep disease..” 16.09.2013

• Skins salted and sold³

Source – Agricultural studies school visit abattoir. – Salted skins being packed.

• non-meat body parts processed into fertiliser³
• Employs 70 people³
  

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History of Cressy #19.

1997

• Established business²
  • Plant previously used to process small numbers of wallbies and venison⁴
• Cressy processed 100-120 smallstock a day⁶
  • 12 staff⁶
  • battled with this processing level for 3 years as stabilised business⁶
  • Selling into the domestic market

2001

• Blue Ribbon Smithton abattoir (Tas) – Tasmania’s largest processor went into receivership⁶
• Coles asked Cressy to process and distribute beef, sheep and pork to its Tasmanian stores⁶
• Cressy leased and operated Smithton site processing 500 units a day and 52 staff.⁶
  • as production increased so did costs⁶
• Cressy developed new beef processing floor, beef chiller and larger smallstock chiller⁶

2003

• Built meat processing floor providing a service kill for veal and lamb for butchers and wholesalers throughout Tasmania and mainland Australia

2004

• Expansion of facilities at Cressy should be finished by April – allow for processor to explore new export market opportunities.¹

2010

• Tasmania  required a small stock export plant
• Cressy start work on a new state-of-the-art processing floor

2011

• January. Processing 4,000 units per week⁶
• August. Cressy abattoir achieved export certification⁵
• September.Processing floor developed in 2010 commissioned – achieving Tier 1 Export registration

2012

• January. Processing 5,500 units per week⁶
• Since export accreditation sent 86,000 lambs to Middle east and killed 75,000 for domestic market.⁵
  • Once Halal slaughter introduced stopped production of pigs immediately on religious grounds⁶
• May. Ceased beef kill operations – only killing 50 head a week and return was unviable⁶
• Further expansion of slaughter line occured⁶
• October. Cressy announce significant expansion at their meatworks²
  • grant $250,000- Tasmanian Government Innovation and Investment Fund²
    • total cost is $538,000 TQM invest $288,000²
    • One of five companies to receive grant⁵
  • Convert old beef floor into 500 unit lamb/mutton chiller²
  • Need for greater chiller space due to market availabilty fluctuations of supply⁵
  • Lift processing to 10,000 lambs a week⁵
  • Focus is to build export markets for local product²
  • Since establishment has undergone 4 major upgrades²
  • currently employing 17 FTE, 41 casuals.²
  • 12-15 new full time and part time jobs will be created with expansion²
  • allow TQM to ship direct to markets on Australian mainland and key overseas export markets²
    • switch to exports incurred additional costs due to shipping.⁴
    • Shipping to Melbourne can be as costly as sending produce on from Melbourne to Southeast Asia⁴
• Productivity increase – by 25% to 2000 units a day²
  • decreasing fixed costs and improving efficencies²

2013

• January. Processing 9,000 units per week⁶
  • processing all of Tasmania’s bobby calf production⁶
  • 1,000 lambs processed and shipped to Brisbane under Royal Reserve brand⁶

  Source – ABC Rural ‘Stopping sheep…’ 16.09.2013

• Tasmania had good competition and processing for beef but large portion of sheep and lamb was being shipped live to Victoria for processing⁶
• Tier 1 Export Licenced audited by AQIS⁶
  • restricted export opportunities to 22 countires⁶
  • 2nd Tier requires outsourcing to Victorian abattoir to meet freezing, packing and cutting requirements of markets⁶
    • double handling and extra costs
    • When sent then has Victorian stamp  when its actually Tasmanian product⁶
    • Plans to build blast freezer  with extra boning  and cutting room renovations to aim for Tier 2 application.⁶
• Pre stuns sheep prior to slaughter⁴
• Cressy is Halal accredited – Customers Dubai, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Vietnam⁴
  • also sending to Qatar⁵
• Currently processing 2,000 animals a day⁴
• Local market is shrinking due to undercutting by giant supermarkets⁴
  • Cressy weren’t competitive, their domestic market small and export opportunities limited⁴
  • Changed focus direction, invested and innovated around the problems of high Australian dollar – now supplying halal meats in a growing number of international markets.⁴
  • Cressy is tapping into growing markets and air-freighting product⁴
  • preferable to exporting of live animals according to owners of abattoir⁴
    • Lamb killed at TQM Monday can be at Customer Middle East Wednesday.⁴
    • Tasmania is only state prohibiting use of HGP’s⁴
• Employing 80 people⁴
• Cressy recently named regional exporter of the year.⁴
• September. Have an open door policy to suppliers to observe, learn and improve⁷
  • Quality assurance manager – Chris Cocker – selected as a finalist for biosecurity Farmer of the year.⁷
  • Animal health workshops to assist farmers to identify, educate, knowledge and combat diseases.⁷
  • More than 120 producers have taken opportunity to see their own stock processed⁷
    • liver fluke, cheesy gland, sheep measles and Ovine Johnes disease⁷
    • Sarcocysts comes from cats and is a problem due to feral cats⁷
    • Producers wear cost of disease due to downgrades in carcase⁷
    • Cressy supply a feedback sheet to producers – giving percentagaes of diseases or what processor has found.⁷
    • Carcase costs $8-$10 per animal to process if it is condemned to meat meal, producer receives nothing.⁷
• November. Tasmania Quality Meats  – Announced as winner of Regional Exporter of the year category at 51st Australian Export Awards.⁸
  • “The company’s change in direction to becoming a direct exporter is a major milestone, and is to be congratulated” Award Judges.⁸
  • No direct export sales in 2011 financial year to $12M in export sales 2013⁸
  • Last few years from 20 staff have now employed 75.⁸
  • Produce certified Hala and HGP free chilled and frozen whole -carcase veal as well as 6-way boxed veal.⁸
  • Products including frozen veal, mutton, lamb and offal processed in accordance with Halal requirements and sol as Halel in  markets such as Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.⁸

Source:‘National Exporter award to Tasmania Quality Meats’ Beef Central 27.11.2013
Tasmania Quality meats Logo.

2017

• This year has been very difficult due to¹⁰;
  • high stock prices¹⁰
  • Shortage of workers¹⁰
    • Had gained some workers from other abattoirs that have closed Flinders Is and Longford #195. Tas.¹⁰
• Currently processing 1,700 livestock a day¹⁰
  • Using 65-70 workers¹⁰.
• Flinders Island facility moved some of its service kill process to Cressy¹⁰
• Current Manager – Ralph Jak¹⁰
• Cressy is currently operating service kill and own branded products¹⁰
  • Diversification allows better adaptability to current market conditions¹⁰
    • Trade lamb products¹⁰
    • Mutton  in 3 or 6 way cuts to the Middle East¹⁰

 

Sources

1. ‘Cressy abattoir upgrade’ The Examiner 08.03.2004
2. ‘Further investment in Tasmanian Livestock Industry’ 11.10.2012
3. Agricultural studies visit Tasmanian Quality Meats
4. Reuters Market Analyst – Clyde Russell 18.12.2013
5. ‘Middle east demand spurs Tasmanian lamb abattoir upgrade’ ABC rural. 15.10.2012
6. ‘What’s in store: Big steps in small stock’ Stock and Land. 22.04.2013
7. ‘Stopping the spread of sheep diseases a winner’ ABC rural. 16.09.2013
8. ‘National Exporter award to Tasmania Quality Meats’ Beef Central 27.11.2013
10. ‘Tas Quality meats back on track after a tough year’ ABC rural. 18/12/2017. Audio