Small-scale meat producers in southern Western Australia say they are delighted but puzzled by a key butchering service’s move to keep slaughtering and processing their stock.
For months the Dardanup Butchering Company (DBC) had planned to cease offering so-called “service kills” for small-scale and independent producers.
“Service killing” is the practice of slaughtering and processing livestock on behalf of a farmer who retains ownership over the meat.
It is a critical service for small producers who often sell directly to customers via farmgate shops or farmers markets.
In September DBC announced its intention to stop offering the service, forcing many producers to enter into more expensive contracts with larger abattoirs.
But earlier this week DBC confirmed the decision had been reversed.
“DBC has decided to continue the processing service for our independent producer customers,” it said in a statement to the ABC.
“They are being advised of the news.”
‘Conflicting stories’
Denmark sheep farmer and Small Farmers WA chief executive Patrick O’Neill spoke to DBC and said he was pleased by the news, but wondered why the company had changed course.
Chloe and Patrick O’Neill own Tingle Ridge farm in the Great Southern. (Suppled: Patrick O’Neill)
“We’ve had conflicting stories of capacity issues, pricing issues and small producers not paying their bills on time,” he said.
“But I am not sure what the driving decision is behind the backflip here.
“You would think an organisation like DBC would have a clear idea of the financial implications [that] cutting access to service kills would have on producers like myself.”
Producers were expecting the service from DBC to end this month. (ABC News: Andrew Chounding)
Before this week’s announcement, DBC’s parent company Westpork had said that custom kills would need to be cut in order to maintain routine operations.
“DBC is operating at full capacity and continuing the small, custom kill service — we must scale back some of our own operations at a considerable cost to maintain that service to the small group of customers,” Westpork chair Andrew Young told the WA Country Hour last year.
Mr O’Neill said the backflip had affected trust among producers.
“Reading between the lines, if it’s about money I would have thought you would just increase your prices and then the market would sort out the demand,” he said.
“But I am enthusiastic to return to [DBC] with the processing I need to get done, because it is a good service.”
Mr O’Neill says the last few months have been frustrating and disruptive for producers. (Supplied)
Changes going forward
Westpork and DBC declined to be interviewed and said producers should be contacted.
Recently the state government announced a $150,000 voucher program to support small livestock producers to continue to supply boutique outlets and farmers markets.
But Mr O’Neill said government and industry leaders had responded well to the issue.
“I do believe the government is acting in the interests of small producers like myself,” he said.
“We have also seen some proactive behaviour from the WA meat industry authority.”
The Denmark farmer was able to confirm, after speaking to the butchering company himself, slight changes to terms and conditions for slaughtering livestock going forward.
“It’s more or less business as usual, but they now have introduced minimum order quantities, so you have to put through 10 sheep at a time, five pigs, and no limit on cattle,” Mr O’Neill said.
The closure was predicted to impact on farmers selling directly to local butchers and markets. (ABC Rural: Daniel Fitzgerald)
“The maximum live weight now for cattle is 600 kilograms.
“If you are processing carcasses, all of those need to be delivered to the same destination.”
But the farmer believed the changes might impact the number of customers able to use the service.
Demand for boutique market
South West butcher Peter Gianfrancesco was one of those impacted by the looming shutdown.
Pete Gianfrancesco says an end to the custom kill service would have left a big hole in his business. (ABC South West: Kate Forrester)
He said before last October, he had been making plans to expand his services.
“We were looking at ramping up the custom kill service side of business, employing more butchers, then that idea of ours came to a halt,” Mr Gianfrancesco said.
“A lot of farmers I had spoken to had put in money into refrigeration, trucks and equipment to transport their goods, and they had to stop.
“So this gives me goosebumps, it’s great news.”
The butcher believes having a paddock-to-plate type of service in the local community gave consumers options when they walk through his door.
“I think that demand is definitely there,” he said.
“People being able to walk in and say they purchased their meat direct from a farmer, that’s what it is about.”
