Cootamundra.1 #87. NSW

Cootamundra is located in south eastern NSW. It was operated by one owner for over 30 years to be recently sold to another Australian group, Manilda in 2014. The same year it obtained tier 2 export status. The facility was mothballed in February 2017 due to lack of sheep supply but remains registered under Aus-meat. (Accessed 02/10/2017)

Other Names

• GM Scott lamb and beef processing plant²
• Manildra Meat Company, from 2014.

Current Operation

• Is currently mothballed as at 25/02/2017
• Ausmeat accreditation Number 0087.⁶
  • Accredited as a domestic abattoir current in 1987 as #35N⁷
  •  
• MSA accredited plant Establishment Number 0035 current as at 27.08.2013⁸
• Accredited as a Export abattoir current in 2013 as #87⁶

Location   

• Cootamundra is located approximately 95 km north east of Wagga Wagga
  
• Facility is located on the Temora road¹⁹

Hema Maps – Australia Truckies atlas.

Other Australian Abattoirs.

This link will lead to a interactive page that lists past and present abattoirs, meatworks and processors in Australian.

Owner

• GM Scott¹
  • Owner Barry Noble.³
• Manilda Group (2014)⁴

Operation   

• Cootamundra is a multi species abattoir that has capacity to process²²
  • 4,000 small stock and²²
  • 600 head of cattle per day²²
  • Has a goat processing line²²
  • Export access to 160 countries including Asia, The Middle East, Northern America and Pacific Islands²²
  • Employs 300 people²³
• GM Scott – Is a privately owned business with an annual turnover of $25M³
• Gas-Flushed cryovac system for products produced³
  • Product is sold into export and domestic markets³
• Brand name used is – Noble farm brand.³

Source. ‘Manildra remains committed to town’ Cootamundra Herald 11.06.2015

Manildra Meat Company, Cootamundra abattoir

Contacts

For employment enquiries contact Manildra Meat website and go to contacts.

History

1952

• Cootamundra facility established³

1963

• Cootamundra facility is currently operated by Conkey & Sons Ltd³⁴
  • Export facility that has chilling, freezing and freezing storage capacity³⁴
  • Authors Note. This facility could actually be in relation to Harden NSW

1980’s

• Noble family purchase facility³
• Manager / Owner is Barry Noble¹²
  • Originally the facility was established by Mr Noble’s wife’s (Colleen) parents¹².
  • GM Scott name is derived from Mrs Colleen Noble’s mother’s name. Grace Margaret Scott¹².
    • Mr Barry Noble had worked at an abattoir in Homebush¹²..
      • Homebush was Government owned and closed down¹²..
      • Upon closure Mr and Mrs Noble looked at sites for their own establishment¹².
• Area of Cootamundra was centrally located with an abundance of top quality livestock in the area to source supply¹².

1987

• Facility is currently registered as a domestic processing facility under Aus-meat #35N³⁵
  • Registered name under GM Scott as a domestic facility³⁵
• Authors Note. It is possible that Cootamundra had 2 abattoirs operating in the region at this time. (Note made 04.01.2018)
  • Another domestic facility is operated as Cootamundra Abattoir see Harden NSW

1996

• Up to half of NSW 56 abattoirs could close with the loss of up to 5,000 jobs¹
  • abattoirs are outdated and inefficent¹
  • Long awaited restructuring of the state’s meat processing sector needs to occur and has begun¹
  • Beef export abattoirs at Wingham (NSW), Mudgee (NSW), Gunnedah (NSW) and Inverell (NSW) are most at risk to close¹
  • Small number of modernised plants likely to survive restructuring Young (NSW), Cootamundra (NSW), Gundagai (NSW), Culcairn (NSW), Harden (NSW)¹
  • Handful of efficient and niche market operators insulated from fall out Casino (NSW), Macksville (NSW), Scone (NSW) and Lismore (NSW)¹
  • New privately owned and speciality sheep plants such as Goulburn (NSW) and Dubbo (NSW) killing 60% of NSW mutton are examples of what can be achieved by investment in capital¹
  • Increased US beef into previous Australian market share in Japan, Korea and Taiwan increased pressure¹
  • Live export of 500,000 cattle to Indonesia and Philippines increased pressure on operations of abattoirs

1997

• July. Cootamundra abattoir is currently Domestically registered under Aus-Meat as #35N³⁶
  • Operator – GM Scott P/L.³⁶
    • Processing Beef and Sheep³⁶

2000

• March. Cootamundra abattoir #35N is currently registered as a domestic processing facility³⁷
  • Operator – GM Scott P/L³⁷
    • Processing Beef and Sheep³⁷

 

2008

• June 7. Major product recall occurs for lamb products supplied by Cootamundra to Woolworths supermarket chains⁹
  • Lamb products brought between May 27 and June 5 in NSW, Vic, Tas, SA and NT have been recalled⁹.
    • QLD products brought between June 7 – 14, only lamb and cheese rissoles, lamb mini roast and economy burgers are recalled¹⁰
    • No products are affected in WA¹⁰
    • Safeway has issued a recall of some of lamb products in some of its Victorian stores¹⁰
  • strange odour emanating from some of the products⁹
  • no specific health risks but issuing the recall as a precaution¹⁰
• Manager at Cootamundra abattoir, Arthur Cullen resigns¹¹
• GM Scott Current Director – Peter Noble¹¹
• July. Cootamundra abattoir #35N is currently registered as a domestic processing facility³⁸
  • Operator – GM Scott P/L³⁸
    • Processing Beef and Sheep³⁸

2009

• July. Cootamundra abattoir #35N is currently registered as a domestic processing facility³⁹
  • Operator – GM Scott P/L³⁹
    • Processing Beef and Sheep³⁹

2010.

• Meat processed at Cootamundra was sold in all Woolworths stores throughout NSW²²
  • boneless leg of lamb or a French rack of lamb²²
• March. Cootamundra abattoir doesn’t appear on Aus-Meat registration listing⁴⁰

2012

• June. Facility received a significant industry accolade award for development work with a robotic carcase cutter.²
• Current capacity to process 200 cattle and 3,800 lambs daily²
• Principally supplying supermarket group Woolworths.²
• Robotic arm development – Robotic Ovine Cutter (ROC)²
  • First of its kind in the world²
  • Originated from a prototype installed at Midfield Meats in Victoria around 2006²
  • Can cut up to 4 cuts per carcase²
  • Processing 360 carcases an hour (Average 10 seconds per carcase)²
  • If doing 2 cuts per carcase can process 450 carcases per hour (Average 8 seconds per carcase)²
  • Cutting system is designed to²
    • handle wide range of carcase size²
    • utilises vision-profiling²
    • dustless blade-cutting technology which prolongs shelf life²
    • High cutting efficiencies that increase accuracy and yields²
  • ROC is expected to have significant impact on the meat processing industry over the next 5 years²
  • Eliminates 4 bandsaw cuts that would otherwise be made manually by an operator²
  • Increases OH & S significantly²
  • With further refinement anticipate speeds up to 600 carcases per hour (Average 6 seconds per carcase) could be achieved²
• August. Cootamundra abattoir is the first abattoir in Australia to receive Federal Government funding for carbon mitigation project.³
• Facility will undertake $200,000 project to help industrial refrigeration units to run more efficently³
  • Include upgrading or recycled rainwater project³
  • will combat rising energy costs and improve productivity³
• Current processing capacity 3500 lambs and 200 cattle daily³
• Currently employs 200 people³
• December. Patriarch Barry Noble passed away⁴
  • Owner of the Cootamundra facility Mr Barry Noble dies of a respiratory illness¹².
    • Died at 85 years old. Established the abattoir in the 1980’s¹².
  • Installation of improved technology had always been very important to Mr Noble to enable the facility to keep ahead of competition¹².

2013

• Facility placed on the market as family members pursued other professional interests⁴
• Facility had recently had $17M invested on a new processing floor with a view to upgrading from tier one to tier two export status⁴
  • Allowed opportunity to export markets like Japan, Korea and the US⁴
• January. Cootamundra abattoir is registered with Aus-Meat as an export processing facility #87⁴¹
  • Operator – GM Scott P/L⁴¹
    • Processing Beef, sheep, goats and offal⁴¹

2014

• April. Plant cuts production from five days to four due to lack of lamb supply¹⁹
• June. Manildra Group Purchase facility⁴
  • Manildra is Australian owned⁴
    • Manildra is 100% Australian owned¹³.
      • Family owned and run business¹³
        • Honan Family¹⁷
        • Interests in ethanol, flour, sugar and value added products such as starch¹³
        • Stockfeed business with crop processing ventures in 5 regional centres¹⁷
      • Company is 62 years old¹³
        • Employs over 1,000 people¹³
          • Most are located in regional Australia, head office is located in Sydney¹³
      • Manildra also recently purchased a beef boning room and retail ready meat packaging facility in Bomaderry (150km South of Sydney on the East Coast)¹³
      • Also operated starch and gluten plants in the US for 35 years¹⁷
      • Purchased Argyle Prestige Meats in the South West Slopes¹⁷
        • Manildra purchased a 50% stake¹⁷
        • Argyle meats moved from leasing boning and packing facilities at Harden abattoir to a high tech operation at the former Dairy farmers factory in Nowra¹⁷
• 2 Chinese entities and 2 Australian entities considered or placed bids for facility⁴
• Manildra plan to lift processing capacity beef kill immediately to 150-200 a day⁴
  • processing mainly company owned cattle.⁴
  • The existing beef line has been under-utilised in the past¹³
    • Modestly working 100 head per day initially¹³
• Facility has current service kill contract with Woolworths to process and bone 1,400 lambs a day⁴
• Lambs are sourced from Wagga to Griffith, Forbes, Goulburn up to Cooma⁴
• The local area is very high MSA (Meat Standard Australia) capabilities
  • Major selling point for Manildra with easy access to stock¹³
• Manildra had been a client of GM Scott in the past¹³
• July 1. Official takeover of Manildra group of the Cootamundra abattoir ¹³
• Management team
  • Launches the Manildra Meat Company ¹⁷
  • GM Scott business manager – Bill Scott¹³
  • Manildra Group director of business development Peter Millard¹³
  • GM Scott CEO Len Jones¹³
• Full export licence granted – expanded potential overseas markets from 18 to 148⁵
  • ‘tier two’ export¹³
  • Has taken 14 months in application of process to obtain the licence¹³
    • Market export increase capability from 22 to 184¹³
  • GM Scott already had connections with USA & Hong Kong¹³
    • working toward ties with China¹³
• Cootamundra abattoir is the largest employer in the area¹³
• Target markets will be⁵
  • Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea⁵
  • China – Took over the Middle east as Australia’s biggest lamb and sheep meat market⁵
  • Middle East markets – take a lighter lamb, most sourced locally or from the New England area⁵
    • recently was a good market for mutton to ME but now is not viable to produce for⁵
• Most prime lamb is sourced within 100km of abattoir⁵
  • 70% of the meat processed is service kill.⁵
  • 30% is export⁵
• Currently processing 4000 lambs and 200 cattle a day, with 200 employees⁵
• Cootamundra abattoir is confident of continued source of supply even if abattoir at Young opens⁵
• Cootamundra compete with abattoirs in Victoria and Queensland for livestock⁵
• September. New Goat abattoir is proposed at Blayney, off Newbridge road¹⁴.
  • Blayney is located approximately 200km North East of Cootamundra¹⁴
  • Goat specific abattoir $38M project¹⁴
    • Only one of its kind in the state of NSW¹⁴
      • Capacity 13,500 goats¹⁴
        • 4,500 processed daily¹⁴
      • located at the current SeaLink Freezer site¹⁴
    • could employ 165 people likely 5 days per week¹⁴
  • Environmental impact will be completed mid October¹⁴
  • Strong opposition from neighbours, residents and business in regards to noise, traffic, smell and impact of the facility¹⁴
• Cootamundra livestock producers are looking to a 2nd abattoir in Cootamundra to process livestock for the domestic market¹⁵.
  • Export lines are given priority kill over other supplies of kill space¹⁵.
    • Facility and management require large numbers and would desire full vertical control of all animals and outgoing meat products¹⁵
  • Many farmers in the area are organic producers¹⁵.
  • Manildra investment is great for the town has meant some producers have had to seek other facilities to kill stock¹⁵
  • Manildra meat Company have offered producers services of its plant on commercial terms appropriate to the operation of the business¹⁵.
• October. Cootamundra abattoir is currently export registered #87⁴³
  • Operator – Manildra Meat Company⁴³
    • Licensed to process beef, sheep, goat and offal⁴³
• November. 2nd abattoir in Cootamundra gains momentum with a proposed location identified along Turners Lane¹⁶
  • Facility would focus on service kills¹⁶
  • small multi-species abattoir¹⁶
  • Local farmer David Booth leading the push for the abattoir¹⁶
    • previously had lambs and goats processed at Manildra¹⁶
    • Not allowed to open a small abattoir on his property due to Council Local Environment Plan of the area zoning¹⁶
  • Investment funding is being sought¹⁶
    • Potential investors have pledged support¹⁶
      • wholesalers in Canberra, butchers and small farm operations¹⁶
  • Proposed abattoir would be independently run¹⁶
  • New proposal could exist with current abattoir¹⁶
    • “We will focus on small, domestic service kills, They will be all about processing only  with no packaging or wholesale from the site. We don’t intend to put anything in a box” Mr David Booth¹⁶.
• December. $10M upgrades are occurring at the Cootamundra abattoir¹⁷.

2015

• March. Facilities staff and management commit to very high standards of Animal Welfare¹⁸
  • Livestock manager David Alexander¹⁸
  • Abattoir aimed to not only meet industry standards but be industry leaders¹⁸.
• Animal Welfare is the single biggest issue currently being faced¹⁸
  • Improvements are made to ensure the animals are calm and as stress free as possible¹⁸
• A new shed will increase the undercover capacity to 7,000 animals¹⁸
  • sheep will be kept dryer and cleaner¹⁸
  • New pens will enable better access to water¹⁸
  • flooring used will be steel mesh¹⁸
    • Previous timber floors break and cause injury¹⁸
• Vets are in attendance each day and asses each animal for injury and ailments¹⁸
• Any animals deemed unfit for slaughter are euthanased¹⁸

Source ‘Animal Welfare awareness at the abattoir’ Cootamundra Herald 26/03/2015

Working dogs are muzzled to prevent biting. The dogs are restrained in purpose built dog boxes when not required and used sparingly.

• Graded steel ramp used for the sheep to reach the initial restrainer stunning area is about 3 – 5 storeys high. Sheep were unsettled when the sheep could see they were elevated. Construction of a corrugated iron floor beneath the ramp, concealed the height and allowed the sheep to move up it more calmly¹⁸.
  • Eventually the entire ramp will be concealed¹⁸.

Source ‘Animal Welfare awareness at the abattoir’ Cootamundra Herald 26/03/2015

Sheep following each other towards the restrainer

Source ‘Animal Welfare awareness at the abattoir’ Cootamundra Herald 26/03/2015

This sheep stands at the top of the ‘restrainer’ before it is electronically stunned by the device pictured

• 4 men herd the sheep through the gates and towards the stunning area¹⁸.
• 3 men are stationed at the helm of the operation of the stick hole¹⁸
  • 1 is the stunner and 2 hang the limp carcases¹⁸
• Manildra process 3,400 sheep and lambs each day¹⁸
  • and 100 head of cattle¹⁸
  • Site is being upgraded to process 4,000 sheep and lambs¹⁸
    • and 300 head of cattle a day¹⁸
• June. Seasonal downturn allows for upgrades to the meatworks¹⁹
• Rumours working hours have been reduced¹⁹
• Lamb prices were up to $6.10/kg carcase weight at the last Cootamundra stock yard sale¹⁹
  • Higher prices are believed to be part of the reason for cut in production¹⁹
• Other abattoirs are facing similar issues¹⁹
  • Dubbo, Fletchers had shut its plant for a week due to a shortage of sheep¹⁹
    • Non-production week used to do maintenance on the plant¹⁹

 

2016

• September. Abattoir nears completion of capital works²⁰
  • Expansion of the beef slaughter floor²⁰
  • Improvements to staff amenities²⁰
• Had been a contraction in beef processing line  due to on farm and saleyard cattle prices²²
• October. Dam located on Manildra meats property bursts it banks and nearly derails a train²¹
  • Dam is located 2km from the abattoir facility²¹
  • Dam only contains run off storm water²¹
  • Dam had burst its banks and washed away part of a railway embankment²¹.

Source ‘Train nearly derailed as dam bursts’ Cootamundra Herald 06.10.2016

Dam located on Manildra Meat company land bursts its bank and undermines the train track.

• As of December this year the Cootamundra abattoir would no longer process meat for Woolworths²².
  • Traditionally Woolworths had been a major customer²²
  • Well known in 2010 that lamb meat processed in Cootamundra was sold throughout NSW Woolworths stores²².
  • Followed a competitive tender process²⁴
  • Loss of Woolworths will provide Cootamundra opportunity to expand domestic and export business²²
• Staff numbers would be assessed according to seasonal demands and industry challenges²²
• Contract to process lambs for Woolworths has been lost to the Junee Abattoir²⁴
• Local producer Ron Ward and ACT’s Griffith butchery win 3 awards at the Official Great Aussie pie competition²⁵
  • Mr Ron Ward used to have his meat processed at Cootamundra but since 2014 now has his stock processed at Cowra²⁵.
• November. New General Manager Jason Graham²⁶
  • Managed New Zealand abattoir 3 years²⁶
    • New Zealands’ largest red meat processing facility²⁶
• Accessible abattoirs willing to process organic produced animals is of concern to local producers²⁷.
• Very important to local producers to have the capability to diversify to spread risk and enable a spread of earning possibilities²⁷
  • Manildra closed its beef floor to organic animals²⁷
  • Cowra’s Breakout River abattoir beef line is fully booked at the moment²⁷
  • Young abattoir may re-open for beef, but not sure when²⁷
  • Sheep can be service- killed at Cootamundra²⁷
  • Goats can be killed at Cootamundra²⁷

2017

• February. Manildra Meat Company, Cootamundra Abattoir will close²⁸
  • Last kill will occur 24/02/2017²⁸
  • Plant will be mothballed²⁸
• Authors note – Mothballed is a term used to describe placing a facility in shutdown but still keeping up maintenance and all required standards to re-open and begin operation of animal slaughter in a short period of time. Facilities may maintain Aus-meat registration status even though they are not actually processing any stock.
  • A maintenance team will be at the facility²⁸
• Very difficult meat processing environment at the moment²⁸
  • Near record high slaughter cattle prices²⁸
  • Intense export market competition²⁸
    • particularly Brazil²⁸
  • Processors have taken heavy losses in the last 12 months²⁸
    • A QLD processor was reporting losses of $200 per head on heavy grass-fed steers²⁸
• Facility currently employed 150 permanent and 70 casual staff²⁸
  • All employees will be paid full entitlements²⁸
• All outstanding financial obligations will be met²⁸
• Plant will not be sold²⁹
• “We cannot continue to maintain a viable business in the current industry environment, particularly given the record high livestock prices and the inability of our customers to absorb these price increases” Manildra Meat General Manager Jason Graham²⁹
• “Abattoir operations can be a volatile industry especially when cattle prices are at the level they are at now. My thoughts are with the individuals and families as they go through this tough time” Member for Cootamundra. Katrina Hodgkinson³⁰
• Cootamundra township has a current population of 7,500 people³²
  • Loss of 220 jobs in that size of a town has a huge impact³²
  • Some staff have applied and obtained work at other meat processing facilities such as Wagga Wagga #291 NSW, Gundagai #106 NSW and Young #128 NSW. ³³
  • Some staff have also been accepted to work at the Junee Correctional centre³³
• Roger Fletcher, Owner of abattoirs at Dubbo.2 #2309 NSW  and Narrikup in WA comments on the current trading conditions of processing lamb and sheep at the moment and that it is a tough industry³²
  • “I do the numbers and it’s unsustainable where we’re at”. Roger Fletcher³²
  • “It’s a bit like if there are six hotels in a town and there’s only enough room for five drinkers, one’s got to close. And there will be more close.” Roger Fletcher³²
• April. JBS Australia announce they will temporarily close two of its southern lamb processing plant due to current livestock supply and price conditions³¹.
  • Cobram #397 Vic.
  • Longford #195 Tas.
• Other facilities that have also stopped production or reduced throughput recently are³¹
  • Deniliquin #2123 NSW
  • Esperance #1459 WA
  • Gunbower #    Vic
  • Tamworth 1. #394 NSW
• Some plants are currently operating on loss-making skeleton 3 day weekly kills³¹
• Recent spate of abattoir closures raises questions in regards to over capacity of the processing sector with oversupply of stock due to drought³¹
• Has been high levels of foreign investment interest in investments directed into processing³¹

Sources Cootamundra #87

1. ‘5,000 jobs at risk: Abattoirs facing closure’ Sydney Morning Herald 21.05.1996
2. ‘Productivity: Cootamundra’s robotic carcase cutter wins innovation award’ Beef Central 04.06.2012
3. http://www.beefcentral.com/processing/cootamundra-plant-blazes-trail-in-carbon-mitigation-projects/
4. http:’Manildra secures Cootamundra beef, lamb abattoir, despite Chinese competition’ Beef Central 27.06.2014
5. http://www.theland.com.au/news/agriculture/general/news/meat-from-coota-to-the-world/2704030.aspx
6. AUS-MEAT accreditation list 01.01.2014
7. AUS-MEAT accreditation list 1987
8. MSA Licensed Plants Meat and Livestock Australia 27.08.2013
9. ‘Woolworths not to blame for product recall: GM Scott’ ABC News 07.06.2008
10. ‘Woolies recalls lamb products’ ABC News 07.06.2008
11. ‘Meatworks manager leaves in wake of Woolies lamb recall’ www.austfoodnews.com.au 11.06.2008
12. ‘Loss of noble man’ http://www.cootamundraherald.com.au 05.12.2012
13. ‘Abattoir purchase official’ Cootamundra Herald 27.06.2014
14. ‘Blayney neighbours unhappy with plans for goat abattoir’ Western Advocate 26.09.2014
15. ‘Farmers look to a second Cootamundra abattoir’ Foodmagazine 08.09.2014
16. ‘Second abattoir proposal gains momentum’ Cootamundra Herald  21.11.2014
17. ‘Manildra Group’s meaty move’ Stock and Land 13.12.2014
18. ‘Animal Welfare awareness at the abattoir’ Cootamundra Herald 26/03/2015
19. ‘Manildra remains committed to town’ Cootamundra Herald 11.06.2015
20. a
21. ‘Train nearly derailed as dam bursts’ Cootamundra Herald 06.10.2016
22. ‘End of an era for Cootamundra abattoir’ Cootamundra Abattoir 26.10.2016
23. Manildra Meat website
24. ‘Competitive process results in end of Cootamundra contract’ Cootamundra Herald 27.10.2016
25. ‘Vote of confidence for local farm’ Cootamundra Herald 28.10.2016
26. ‘Manildra director pays tribute to former CEO’ Cootamundra Herald 01.11.2016
27. ‘Spreading risk at Cootamundra’ Cootamundra Herald 15.11.2016
28. ‘Cootamundra plant closure could flag more widespread processor shut-downs’ Beef Central 17.02.2017
29. ‘150 permanent and 70 casual staff out of a job’ Cootamundra Herald 17.02.2017
30. ‘Member for Cootamundra, Katrina Hodgkinson saddened by decision’ Cootamundra Herald 17.02.2017
31. ‘Indefinite closures for JBS lamb plants, as supply challenge reaches critical point’ Beef Central 20.04.2017
32. ‘Shortage of lambs for slaughter pushing up prices, forcing abattoir closures’ ABC Rural 24.02.2017
33. ‘Meatworkers consider their fate after abattoir shuts down’ Cootamundra Herald 24.02.2017
34. ‘World on a plate, A history of meat processing in Australia’ Stephen Martyn. 2012
35. Aus-Meat Accreditation Listing 1987
36. Aus-Meat Accreditation Listing November 1997
37. Aus-Meat Accreditation Listing March 2000
38. Aus-Meat Accreditation Listing July 2008
39. Aus-Meat Accreditation Listing July 2009
40. Aus-Meat Accreditation Listing March 2010
41. Aus-Meat Accreditation Listing January 2013
42. Aus-Meat Accreditation Listing October 2014