Australian Abattoirs

Current Operation

• Being constructed

Location 

• Yeeda cattle station is located 40km south of Derby in Western Australia.
• Authors Note –  Kilto is a name of a station closer to Broome, 53km east of Broome. I think the abattoir will be located there.

Owner

• Jack Burton – Yeeda Pastoral company²

Operation

• Establishment – Private abattoir with government funding¹
• Yeeda abattoir

History

• During WWII, live export was difficult, this abattoir was set up, other cattle were walked to Katherine to be slaughted¹

1942

• Broome abattoir established¹

1959

• Improved to meet stringent USDA (United States Department of agriculture) hygiene regulations¹

1960

• Kimberley Meats – bargained with Emanual Exports – collective bargaining including Broome, Derby and Wyndham³

Source State Library of Western Australia. File Photo 258025PD
Broom abattoir 01/07/1964

1970  

• Couldn’t meet USDA standards – lost export licence, so did Derby, Wyndham,
• Darwin and Katherine also shut down for a period of times due to being unable to also meet USDA standards¹

1983      

• Export beef plant closed October 1983¹

1986

• Meat supply closed May 1986¹ (Not sure what this actually refers to in article)

1993  

• Closed⁴.

“Broome is the preferred location for an abattoir to service the Kimberley and Pilbara, according to consultant’s report prepared for the Dept. Ag WA (SD&D Meateng 2010)⁴

2010

• Feasibility study conducted to consider establishment of an abattoir in WA⁵

Feasibility of WA NW ab.

• For greatest efficency a new abattoir should be capable of processing a minimum 400 head a day.⁵
  • would not be commercially viable in competition with strong live export trade, without tangible government support and without significant producer committment to a processing alternative.⁵
• Note – the feasibility study worked on average carcase weight of 250kg, at approximately 52% this equates to a minimum 480kg live animal processed. The table on Page 50 talks of yield off the animal of 70%. This is unclear if it includes offal – estimated at 20.14kg (Calculated from total render co products on page 33). Not listed is weight of hide, tallow, bone products.⁵
• Input cost of abattoir establishment $33.3M. Pg 51⁵
  • Employment estimate, 53 slaughter, 69 boners, 10 engineers, 28 admin – 160 people.Pg 54⁵
  • Process 100,000 head a year. Pg 55⁵
• Cost per kg – Abattoir expects to pay for meat (assume Overhooks) to producers. Pg 53⁵
  1. Year 1 – $1.64 – start up year⁵
  2. Year 2 – $2.21 – start up year⁵
  3. Year 3 – $1.49 – start up year⁵
  4. Year 4 – $2.16 – allows for poor season⁵
  5. Year 5 – $1.66 – allows for poor season⁵

 Sources

1. ‘Sailing ahead’ Annabelle Coppin 2009
2. ‘New lamb abattoir for Jack Burton’ Meat trade daily 27.05.12
3. ‘The Australian Livestock export trade’ Nigel Austin 2011
4. Northern Australian Beef Industry – Assessment of risk and opportunities’ ABARE 2012
5. ‘Feasibility of establishing a Northern western Australia Beef abattoir’ RIRDC.2010.
6. ‘Backer for Yeeda Abattoir vision’ The West Australian 03.06.2015