Updated 28.12.2013. Longford abattoir is located on the North east side of Tasmania mainland, South of Launceston. Owned by JBS the abattoir is a multi species abattoir currently operating.
Other Names
- Longford JBS
- Number 195.18
Current Operation
- Aus Meat Accreditation registration dated 29/12/2015 #195 – JBS Australia Pty Ltd (Longford).17
- registered as a Beef, Sheep, Offal export facility.17
- Direct employment enquiries to www.jbssa.com.au
Location
Source – Hema Maps – Australia Truckies Atlas.
Owner
- Gilbertson family
- SBA foods (Sumikan)- 1996
- Tasman Group7
- Used to operate under name – Belandra Pty Ltd
- Victorian based operation7
- General Manager Fracnk Orovec7
- Chairman Giuseppe Catalfamo7
- JBS Swift1
- Plant manager Paul Wightman
- JBS (2008)1
- Abattoirs owned by JBS in Tasmania
- Devonport abattoir (Tas) (2008) – another multi species abattoir.
- Longford (Tas)
- King Island abattoir (Tas) (2008) – closed in 2012.
- Abattoirs owned by JBS Queensland.
- Townsville (QLD)
- Rockhampton (QLD)
- Dinmore abattoir (QLD)
- Riverview (QLD)
- Toowoomba (QLD) – more commonly known as Beef City
- Abattoirs owned by JBS in Victoria
- Brooklyn (Vic)
- Cobram (Vic)
- Abattoirs owned by JBS in New South Wales
- Yanco (NSW)
- Abattoirs owned by JBS in South Australia
- Abattoirs owned by JBS in Tasmania
Operation Of Longford.
- Multi species processing abattoir2
- Multi species abattoirs notoriously difficult and complex to manage5
- Longford is Australia’s most flexible and diverse red meat processing site5
- Capacity to process 450 beef a day, 1,600 Small stock such as Lamb, mutton and veal1
- With beef operation also kills 1800 lambs and sheep a day, plus bobby calves and veal.5
- Full Halal kill to key Muslim markets – Malaysia, Indonesia and Middle East.5
- Full License access for beef and lamb export to China and Russia5
- Carries out EU grassfed supply – MSA backed grassfed Natural beef program5
- Longford carries out most of weekly grainfed kill on contract for Japanese owned Feedlot located in Tasmania5
- Emphasis is directing sheep and beef meat to branded programs instead of selling product as a commodity meat.5
History Of Longford
2002
- SBA Foods sell to Tasman Group Services – $25M9
- Includes King Island9
- Altona abattoir – Melbourne (currently mothballed) – been closed for last 2 years9
- Past 4 years had $10M spent on improving beef slaughter chain, chiller and boning facilities9
- Yambinya feedlot – Wakool, Deniliquin.9
- Tasman Group already owned – Brooklyn abattoir – gutted by fire June 2001 and still closed in 2002.9
2003
- Abattoir closed -part of union agreement workers to paid full entitlements7
- Rescue package offered by Government7
- More optimistic about workers future with package announced7
- Abattoir had applied for new rendering plant7
- $5M plant had already been built but formal application still required approval.7
- 600 Tasmanian feedlot cattle went to King Island abattoir for processing.7
2006
- Tasman Group Chairman – Giuseppe Catalfamo brided Cole’s head of supermarket merchadising Peter Scott (Coles fired Scott in 2007).6
- Scott had acquired million dollar bayside apartment from Catalfamo6
- Considered a breach of retailers code of conduct – Tasman group main supplier of beef in Victoria and Tasmania6
- Catalfamo been caught bribing and meat substitution in past – horse-meat substitution scandel that threatened Australia’s export industry 20 years ago, fined and banned from exporting to the USA for 10 years.6
- Devonport abattoir provides Woolworths with fresh sausages for 29 Tasmanian stores6
- Tasman Group – report ending 20056
- sales had increased 30% but profit halved to $6.3M6
- Company borrowings total nearly $62M6
- Main creditors – National Australia Bank, ANZ and Japanese meat company Hannan Corporation6
2008
- JBS purchased as part of Tasman group when entered Australia with acquitsition of AMH5
- Tasman Group consists of abattoirs in Tasmania – Longford, Devonport and King Island8
- Tasman group 3 abattoirs in Tasmania including King Island and 3 in Victoria.8
- JBS paid $US150M8
- JBS also purchased Smithfield Group $US565M8
- Has four abattoirs8
- JB also purchase National Beef $US560M8
- Has three abattoirs8
- 2 meat processing facilities8
- Tasman Group consists of abattoirs in Tasmania – Longford, Devonport and King Island8
2009
- March. JBS lockout company -Cuthbertson Brothers10
- Cutherbertson process sheep and lamb skins supply footwear trade.10
- 150 year old company – established by Blundstone11
- Purchase 80% of Tasmanian production of sheep and lamb skins11
- Processing plant at Launceston11
- supply exclusively to Manufacturer Melbourne – Dynasty11
- Dynasty is agent for Henan Prosper – worlds largest tannery located in China11
- Employ 20 people11
- Cutherbertson call on ACCC to launch formal investigation as breach of Trade Practices Act, JBS have misused market power to push players out of the sheep and lambskin market.11
- JBS refuse to allow Australian Lamb Company to process animals at Longford11
- Australian Lamb Company is major exporter11
- Processed 1000 heavy lambs per week.12
- Loss of buisiness caused producers $7-$10 per head.11
- Australian Lamb company forced to send stock to Melbourne for processing11
- At 2009 – Longford is the only supplier of export grade sheep and lamb produce in Tasmania11
- JBS is dealing direct with producers , by passing stock agents.11
- JBS continued pattern of activities designed to force Cuthbertson Brothers out of market by approaching Cuthbertson’s major clients.11
- Cutherbertson process sheep and lamb skins supply footwear trade.10
- Sheepskin tender lockout has caused producers receive 50% less for skins11
- $3-$4 per skin11
- ACCC are investigating the matter but JBS refusing to discuss with ACCC.11
2010
- JBS lay off 90 workers13
2012
- JBS Australia split into two operating entities to make Northern and Southern regions in relation to abattoirs and feedlots within those areas14.
- South – Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania14
- North – NSW and QLD.14
2013
- JBS threaten closure of Longford if another abattoir is established on King Island abattoir (Tas)3
- JBS say – not receiving cattle from King Island would hurt Longford operations3
- JBS (at June 2013) still owned the closed King Island plant. It was not leased or for sale3
- Longford Plant – Boning room to be reconfigured for great throughput to increase efficency5
- Long term strategy to optimise production efficency5
- Lift beef throughput by 50%, increasing beef killed from 300 currently to around 475 head5
- Majority of cattle sourced – well grown Angus from Tasmania’s NE and NW regions5
- Islands – King Island and Flinders can account for anything from 200-450 head a week, higher in the spring run.5
- 80-90% of slaughter cattle are sourced direct from vendors5
- More productive work hours – 4 day weekly roster, based on four 9.5 hour working days5
- New technologies – X-ray fat analysis equipment to determine Chemical lean (CL) content5
- Note – Chemical lean is fat/marbling amount through the meat, the higher the number the less fat content. 90CL very lean, 80CL has high marbling.
- New technologies – metal fragment contamination screening5
- Since purchase of facility – considerable infrastructure development, modern blast freezer facility5
- Focus on growing a range of beef and lamb brands for both key domestic and international customers5
- 75% of currently weekly kill is MSA accredited at slaughter5
- Value add at facility – Supplies supermarkets and key customers5
- Sausages, corned beef, marinated products, dicing, shanks5
- conventionally packed or MAP5
- sold under supermarket label.5
- September. JBS launch brand launch.20
Great Southern Logo. Source Beef Central 27.9.2013
- Great Southern grassfed beef and lamb.20
- Products first of their type in Australia.20
- third party audited program JAS/ANZ ISO.20
- 65 accredited farm quality assurance programs backing the brand.20
- huge demand in domestic and global customers for traceable fresh grassfed meat.20
- supplied by best practice producers with better livestock genetics.20
- MSA graded for eating quality.20
- Farmers would receive premium prices.20
- 10c/kg premium applied to grid for UK.20
- 650 farmers through NSW, Vic & Tasmania accredited to supply the program.20
- Audit costs (for farmers) are paid by JBS.20
- Audits conducted by AsureQuality.20
- Animals are consigned driect to JBS.20
- forward pricing.20
- Animals consigned through saleyards would not be eligible.20
- “Today the margins are so tight that if you want a point of difference and that premium or no discount, you have got to be involved with quality assurance” Jeremy Upton, Producer.20
- November. JBS Swift Australia install closed-circuit television camera’s (CCTV) in it’s Australian meatworks.19
- For the purpose of animal welfare and meatworker safety issues.19
- CCTV for internal use by only JBS, with no plans to allow outsiders to view the footage.19
- JBS’s US beef division (which includes Australia) delivered drop in net sales and earnings in it’s third quarter financial results.22
- Australia’s division performance and overall contribution to the overall result is impossible to distinguish due to inclusion with US and Canadian beef processing results.21
- Earnings before tax $134M,.21
- Down by 22.5% on previous quarter.21
- Down by 28.4% on third quarter last year.21
- result reflection of domestic North American markets.21
- Improved performance had occured in Australian.21
- Demand had increased in Chinese markets.21
- Improved performance had occured in Australian.21
2014
- April. Longford is the only multi species processing plant in Tasmania at this point
- Integration of the King Island beef kill into the Longford business has delivered better effiecncies and success at the plant with economies of scale not previously available.18
- Longford is a more robust business than prior to integration.18
- Longford now hs the ability and consistency to supply key markets.18
- China, European union, US, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Russia.18
- Production has increased to 500 beef and 1,700 small-stock being processed a day.18
- Grading quality of Tasmanian livestock is high quality, non HGP, non GMO.18
- Beef sales, focused on direct sales to export and retail.18
- Lamb sales focus on supply of domestic, retail and food service.18
- including commodity lamb and mutton into China.18
- Everything that can be value-added in the form of meat and byproducts at Longford is processed on site.18
- All of the plant’s kill and much of the lamb production is boned, sliced and packed in 2 fabrication room.18
- JBS no longer required to send animals for processing to the mainland.18
- sausage making plant.18
- packaged corn beef and lamb shanks for retail.18
- By products rendering plant makes 25t tallow a day.18
- lamb skins are graded and salted for weekly tender.18
- cattle hides are sold green (unprocessed) to a local hide merchant.18
- 300 producers support the Great Southern Farm assurance production program.18
- Staff numbers at the plant had reached 450 employees.18
- Devonport (domestically licensed) employing 150.18
- Work was less seasonal and had better security.18
- Future leaders program pathway available – Career Leadership Opportunities.18
- July. JBS Australia across all facilities in operation kills daily14
- 8,500 cattle,14
- 24,000 smalls – which includes lambs14
- Employs more than 8,000 people14
- December. JBS currently operate 12 meat processing plants across 5 Australian states15
- Wages & local procurement $730M (Excluding livestock purchases)15
- Employs 8,500 people at the facilities15
- Employs 12,000 people in Australia15
- Total revenue of $6.5B15
JBS processing plants in Australia
Source JBS submission #50 Market Consolidation.
- JBS estimates its current share of four eastern states beef kill – 20% (excludes service kill)15
- JBS share of Australian beef production 16%15
- Market share of national small (lamb, mutton & goat) 16%
- JBS spent $2.4M on halal certification costs of approved religious certifiers in 201415
2015
- June. Cost of processing in Australia 1.5-3 times the cost of processing animals in another country15
- cost of processing grain-fed cattle in Australia is twice of the USA15
- lower levels of productivity in Australia in regards to kg per unit of labour15
- 2 major differences between Australia and the USA15
- Government regulation
- $10 a head more in Australia15
- Dept. of Australian Agriculture fully recover costs of meat export inspection and certification15
- Australia wide DAFF costs $80M15
- JBS contribute $14.5M15
- Export plants don’t use DAFF but use approved employees, which plants fully cover costs15
- JBS estimate an additional $30M at Export level15
- USA & Brazil governments provide services at no or minimal costs to processors15
- Energy Costs
- $15 a head more in Australia15
- Government regulation
- Technical barriers to trade (TBT’s)- Total value in Australia estimated at $1.25B as identified costs15
- 261 TBT’s in 40 key markets15
- 136 have significant trade distortion impacts15
- 261 TBT’s in 40 key markets15
- JBS estimates its current share of four eastern states beef kill – 20% (excludes service kill)15
Sources Longford Tas. JBS
- ‘Support for KI meatworks’ The Mercury 18.06.13
- ‘Abattoir closure claims unfounded’ The Stock and Land. 27.06.13
- ‘Abattoir closure warning’ http://www.mercury.com.au 26.06.2013
- http://www.jbsswift.com.au
- ‘Expansion plans ahead for JBS Longford – one of Australia’s most versatile meat plants’ Beef Central 21.10.2013
- ‘Woolies sticks by kickback butcher’ SMH 15.01.2007
- ‘Tasman Services fulfil final payouts’ The Examiner 23.10.2003
- ‘Big Beef producer cuts deal with Tasman Group’ The Age. 06.03.2008
- ‘SBA foods sell to Tasman Group Services’ Stock & Land 19.03.2002
- ‘End of the Tasmanian Ugg Boot’ The Examiner 03.03.2009
- ‘Submission to Select committee on Agriultural and related Industries – Inquiry into food production in Australian’
- ‘Abattoir cutback inconveniences lamb company’ ABC rural. 26.02.2009
- ‘Australia: Union shuts down picket of locked out meatworkers’ http://www.wsws.org 29.12.2010
- ‘The next Swift Shift’ The Weekly Times 30.07.2014
- sub50_JBS Inquiry into the effect of market consolidation on the red meat processing sector
- ‘ATO publishes tax data for agribusiness corporates’ Beef Central 18.12.2015
- AUS-MEAT Accreditation Listing 29.12.2015
- ‘JBS expands its books’ Stock & Land 24.04.2014
- ‘Swift CCTV camera action’ Weekly Times 13.11.2013
- ‘JBS unveils new QA driven southern grassfed brand program’ Beef Central 27.09.2013
- ‘JBS delivers lower third quarter beef sales, revenue’ Beef Central 14.11.2013
