Livestock Processors

Industry: Livestock Processors

1. Description of Product:

1. Livestock carcasses including pigs, sheep, lambs, cattle, bobby calves, horses, venison, goats and buffalo.

2. Skins and Hides.

3. Edible offal.

4. Tallow.

5. Pet food - raw material.

6. Guts, runners

7. Blood

2. Location of the Industry:

There are 7 abattoirs located in the region including one at Wodonga which is technically outside the five local government areas but is a significant processor, and has been included.

A sausage casing manufacturer is located in Wangaratta.

A sheepskin salting works is located at Eurobin. There are two sheepskin processing units in the region, one at Benalla and one at Wangaratta.

3. Employment and Labour Requirements

a. Number of Producers

7 abattoirs.

1 sausage casing manufacturer.

3 sheepskin processing plants.

b. Number Regularly Employed

809 people in all 9 enterprises.

4. Annual Production :

Measured by turnover. However, based on estimates and survey figures it is estimated there are 13,600 cattle slaughtered annually and 1,490,000 sheep and lambs.

5. Value of Product:

The value of production is based on surveyed information, some assumptions, some careful guesswork, some accurate information provided by the industry.

Meat Processing is an industry under intense financial pressure, increasingly scrutinised and regulated. Provision of information was offered with caution and reservation.

Gross value of production is estimated to be $173 million.

The estimate of gross value of production for meat processing in the region should be used with great caution. The significance of this industry in terms of value and employment to the regional economy should however be promoted.

Extracted from the Bright Report