Our e-newsletter has caught the eye of Stock & Land, part of the ACM media group who also publish The Land (NSW) and Queensland Country Life, Stock Journal (SA). This led to an interview seeking the Society’s views on the “service kill” issue and a follow up piece by Stock & Land (coming soon) on member Jo Stephens who appeared in our January edition. Digital marketing in action!
Brooklands Free Range Farms Paddock to Plate British White beef. Photo: Natalie Hardy
Our January article on threats arising from abattoirs increasingly stopping “service kills” has seen a follow on article published by Stock & Land. The paper sought the views of the Society on implications for the breed and more generally. The article canvasses the broad implications including impacts for our target market, the paddock to plate sector, small and specialty butchers and restaurants. Importantly, the article details the reasons why British White cattle are so well suited to the paddock to plate and specialty butcher market’s focussed on grass finished cattle. Members, Brooklands Free Range Farms and Larder Mouse Farm, get a specific mention.
The article also mentions some small green shoots emerging from industry advocacy, particularly from Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (ASFA), but warns “the solutions need to be sustainable, secure and enduring”.
Keeping the “service kill” issue in the news, Stock & Land also covered the tabling of a petition to the Victorian state government calling for service kills to be reinstated a Hardwicks Kyneton. Amongst the many consequences arising from this loss of access to processing facilities for small farmers is the need for animals to be transported longer distances. The article quotes member Lucy Olsen from Larder Mouse Farm on the implications of the Hardwicks decision for them including the need to transport their steers to Colac and Geelong for processing. Lucy notes they were surprised by the timeframe and the lack of notice given and that “it’s a bit of trial and error, at the moment” as they look for options to keep their “relatively young business afloat”.
While the current focus is in Victoria the diminishing access to processing facilities for small producers is occurring across the country. Whether you are a paddock to plate operator or not, British White cattle producers stand to be impacted as these changes affect small-scale livestock farmers who are currently a key market for the breed. But the impacts will be felt across the board for small business operators such as local butchers, farmers markets and restaurants. Consumer choice will be impacted as beef production continues to become even more concentrated and industrialised with a greater focus on feedlots rather than pasture finished beef.
So, here’s what you can do to support small scale livestock farming and ongoing access to service kills. Sign the AFSA petitions and share them widely, write to your local MP, speak out on social media, become an ASFA member.
Also, the UK British White Cattle Society will include items from our AGM Roundup e-newsletter in their annual journal.
