Abattoir Upgrades Despite High Livestock Prices
AUSTRALIA - High livestock prices are forcing down the number of animals being processed by abattoirs.
14 February 2017
1 minute read
In Victoria's north-west, one facility is reporting a 30 to 40 per cent reduction in the number of sheep and cattle it is processing.
Woodward Foods produces many of the livestock it slaughters — sometimes half the animals going through a facility originate from the family business's farms.
But with high prices for livestock, keeping up the supply is a challenge.
Despite the downturn, the business's Swan Hill Abattoirs is working to upgrade its facility and undertaking what it describes as a cultural change in its workforce.
General manager Mick Bird said the facility had undergone a rebrand and was selling meat into domestic and overseas markets, promoting the company's paddock to plate story.
He said current conditions were a challenge, but branching into foreign markets such as the United Arab Emirates, USA and China should enable the business to keep improving.
"At the moment the conditions are tough to be honest," he said.
Source: ABC
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