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Recovery slaughters abattoirs
12 Sep 2003
Abattoirs are key employers in country towns but they are being hit hard, not by the drought, but beginnings of the recovery. Mudgee Regional Abattoir stood down 250 workers this week following a failed bid by the administrators to raise the $2 million needed to keep the plant going.
Abattoirs in Forbes, Goulburn, Orange, Blayney and Harden have all had to shut down or curtail hours because there are not enough animals to slaughter. Dubbo's Fletcher's Meats is the last big producer to keep permanent staff on - but its 600 employees are on reduced hours.
The number of livestock being slaughtered in NSW peaked in Spring 2002, when farmers killed off even breeding stock to raise cash and reduce outgoings. Now farmers are looking forward to the end of the drought and are holding on to their livestock.
Meat and Livestock says the number of sheep being slaughtered in eastern Australia is at its lowest point in five years, down 32 per cent compared with the same time in 2002. The impact on cattle numbers is yet to be fully felt, as the high cost of grain is still forcing farmers to slaughter herds they would normally keep.
The Daily Telegraph, 11/9/03, page 23.
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