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Queensland plans abattoir to boost cattle slaughter

  • : Agriculture
  • 25/07/18

The Queensland state government has announced plans for a new beef facility, dubbed Iona, which could process up to 200,000 cattle a year.

Queensland slaughtered 3.7mn head of cattle last year, and the new facility could increase the state's annual slaughter by 5pc, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data show.

The facility will boost Australia's annual slaughter of 8.3mn by 2pc once operational. The state government did not say when construction will begin or when it will start processing.

Iona, which is based in the state's Central Highlands about seven hours north of Dalby, will include an abattoir, a rendering facility for tallow, a biogas facility and a feedlot.

Australia's cattle slaughter numbers have grown consecutively every quarter since December 2022. The number of cattle slaughtered in Queensland in January-March has increased by 16pc from the same period last year, ABS data show.

Investment bank Rabobank forecasts slaughter will continue to rise in 2025 because ideal weather conditions in the north have boosted herd numbers and made high turnover possible.


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