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East Australian beef plants to shut on cyclone threat

  • Mercados: Agriculture
  • 05/03/25

Beef processing plants in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) are making contingency plans, including plant closures, ahead of tropical cyclone Alfred's crossing on 6 March as a category 2 cyclone.

Major beef processors in the region, including Kilcoy, Teys, and the Casino Food Co-op, have announced plant closures for parts of Thursday and Friday. Fellow meat producer JBS will continue to monitor the situation, with closure only confirmed from midday Thursday, the company said. Staff safety is a primary concern, but the possibility of power outages, road damage, and compromised cattle welfare is also prompting plant closures. Short-term power losses are manageable, but extended outages threaten food safety, market participants said.

The Port of Brisbane suspended large vessel arrivals on 2 March to prioritise departures, which it is managing on a case-by-case basis, a spokesperson from Maritime Safety Queensland told Argus. Firms shipped 237,057t of agricultural seeds, 42,563t of meat products, and 30,641t of oil out of the hub in January, alongside large volumes of coal. Long-term closure of the port could affect the refrigerated container supply, which is critical to the meat industry, market participants said.

Wet weather is now expected in March for much of northern Australia as cyclone Alfred will bring heavy rain and create instability, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). The BoM previously forecast a hot, dry March for Queensland, most of the Northern Territory, and average rain in NSW. But cyclone Alfred is now expected to bring more than 200mm of rain to southeast Queensland and northern NSW from 5 February. More than 25mm of rain is expected as far inland as St George in Queensland and Narrabri in NSW as the cyclone continues through NSW as a low-category weather system.

The rain is expected to support summer grass growth, replenish surface water, and provide opportunities for winter pasture sowing.


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