Service kill shortage: Where producers can access services

A lack of small-scale service kill operators could detrimentally affect producers looking to control quality of their product.

Small-scale producers looking for bespoke service kills for their livestock are facing an ever-shrinking pool of abattoirs that offer private processing to farmers who sell under their own brands.

Smeaton cattle producer Andrew Hunt is one of an estimated 1000 livestock owners now searching for another processor after Koallah operator Castle Estate last week halted its private slaughter service for beef and sheep.

Mr Hunt said he was grateful Castle was able to process his final booking for two Dexter cattle last week, but he might have to stop selling beef for the rest of the year due to lack of other options.

“It is up to us farmers, I think, to come up with more solutions,” said Mr Hunt, who runs a diversified operation called Woodhouse Hill on 56ha.

“Ideally, we have more small-scale abattoirs like we used to and decentralise the whole food system. That is good for animal welfare; good for profitability – particularly if they are run cooperatively, because value gets taken out at every step.”

The announcement by Castle Estate comes after Hardwicks abattoir at Kyneton, owned by Kilcoy Global Foods, stopped offering service kills for goats and certified organic beef and lamb late last year.

Of the 45 Primesafe-registered meat processing and butchery facilities in Victoria, it’s not clear how many offer private services. The Midfield Group website states the southwest Victoria abattoir offers private processing, while Cedar Meats offers service kills at its Brooklyn facility

Steven Castle of Castle Estate, has made the tough decision to cease service kill operations at his abattoir. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Castle Estate owner Steven Castle said service kills had become too difficult to manage,

and his staff had been referring customers to other people “who might be able to provide a solution for them”.

Bespoke boning room and butchery enterprise MeatCrew, at Colac, has been filling the void.

Founder and pig farmer Xavier Meade said his phone had been ringing off the hook since news broke last week about Castle Estate.

“This year we’ve already got enough work to keep us going until Christmas,” Mr Meade said.

“We’re trying to organise rosters and find staff, but in the long-term we’ll pick up the bulk of that work that we can do here.”

Mr Meade said processors and butchers willing to provide bespoke services were scarce on the ground.

“Scare is an understatement … we built this (business) because we couldn’t find someone to do this (for our farming enterprise),” Mr Meade said.

MeatCrew has relationships with three abattoirs across Victoria that Mr Meade can call on for slaughter services.

Jonas Farmers livestock producer Tammi Jonas.

Jonas Farmers livestock producer Tammi Jonas has been working to establish a small-scale co-operative abattoir on her property near Daylesford.

She said processing options for small-scale producers were “getting pretty grim”.

“It’s literally the difference between a viable livelihood or not,” Ms Jonas said.