Bourke abattoir is a historical export abattoir now closed, Initially built by the Tancred Brothers in 1940 it continued to process stock for many years. Finally deregistering after 1997 and closing permanently

Other Names

• Operating business name – Bourke Abattoir^1.
• Common name used

Current Operation

• Facility is currently closed.
• Aus meat accreditation Number 241
• Operator website links
  • Contact for employment
  • Contact for sales.

Location

• Description of physical location in relation to main town and state
  • distance to main urban areas or export sites of that state

Insert – Australia map. location of approximate town site.

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Insert – Locality map of more localised area of site

Other abattoirs in Australia

Go to this link to view Location of Australian Abattoirs

Owner

• Tancred Brothers
• Siteburn P/L

History

Year

1938

• Tancred Brothers open Bourke abattoir¹
  • Facility was built from winnings of a racehorse called ‘High Caste’ (Pg 289)¹

1940

• Bourke abattoir is expanded¹
• Tancred Brothers begin work on an abattoir at¹ Tenterfield. NSW

Insert picture – World on a plate Pg 290

1941

• With the outbreak of War – WWII¹
  • Bourke is killing thousands of sheep for the services¹
    • Exported to United Kingdom¹
  • Carcases are telescoped¹
    • Shipping space was a premium so legs were cut off the carcases and put into the trunk of the lamb¹.
• Dehydration plant was installed to assist with urgent need to keep food up to the troops¹
• Mobs of cattle, 600-700 head were often walked from QLD to Bourke to be processed¹
  • Swam the Darling river if it required¹
• Significant shortage of workers forced skilled labour to be imported from Medina, Italy¹
  • Contracted immigrants for 2 years¹.
    • Many remained as permanent residents¹

Late 1940’s

• Owen Tancred runs the Abattoir (Pg 290)¹

1950’s.

• Emergence of US market presented major opportunity to build a new innovative abattoir to process cattle. This facility was Beaudesert #525 QLD¹.

1975

• Australian cattle herd had is 33M head¹

1980’s

• Tancred’s have established themselves as major players in the Australian Beef industry¹
  • Was a major private land holder under the name of Australasian grazing company¹.
  • Tancreds plants were now processing 450,000 head of livestock a year¹
• Tancred’s now operate plants¹
  • Cape River. QLD
  • Harden. NSW
  • Mt Isa (NSW) – think is error.
  • Shepparton Vic.
  • Oxley QLD, this facility included a cannery
• Tancred’s had been a major growth company from 1975 to 1980¹
  • With earnings per share of 88% per annum¹

1984

• Australian cattle herd is 22M¹
  • Fallen from 33M in 1975¹
• Tancred’s own assets worth over $100M¹
  • Annual turnover of $300M¹
• Tancred’s control up to 10% of Australian meat production¹
  • Most of growth had been financed on loans in US dollars as foreign exchange loans¹
  • Bank wouldn’t allow Tancred’s to trade out of debt and called in the loans¹
  • Enforced liquidation that involved the sale of nearly all Tancred’s land assets¹
• Trading of processing at the time was extremely difficult¹
  • Industry needed to be more efficient¹
  • Still adjusting to the post – 1979 Oil crisis¹

1986

• Tancred’s became part of Australian Meat Holdings (AMH)¹
  • Joint venture between Metro Meat, Smorgon, Elders/FJ Walkers, Thomas Borthwick and Tancred’s¹

Sources

1. ‘World on a plate. A history of meat processing in Australia’ Stephen Martyn
2. Ausmeat Accreditation list – Date

Tagged: Abattoirs in Australia, Australian Abattoirs, Australian meat processing, Australian meat processing facilities, Australian meatworks