It is every primary producers’ dream to have control over the price of their product and one savvy Maranoa couple is climbing the diversity ladder to achieve just that.
As well as the day to day operation of their 5700 hectare cattle, sheep and goat breeding and finishing property, Scotland, Jackson, Shane and Jane Elliott own and run a meat processing plant at Roma under the Elliott Agribusiness banner.
Mr Elliott said his small family run operation had been contract processing for the last 10 years, only buying into the processing chain two-and-a-half years ago.
“The primary reason for diversifying was to gain more control over our markets and take some fluctuation out of our prices,” he said.
“We were contract processing a few head each week at plants at Miles and Wandoan but they closed down so when the plant at Roma became available we decided to buy it.
“It was out of necessity but we also had the desire to get further down the value chain and have more control over our destiny.”
Mr Elliott described the Roma facility as a “very efficient 1970s plant” and said he had put work into its maintenance since gaining ownership.
Mr Elliott said his operation was very small in the scheme of things and he did not aim to compete with the “big boys,” but vertically integrating had allowed him to positively influence his product quality and subsequent markets.
“Our emphasis is on quality and consistent supply- these are the two main ingredients because without them it’s difficult to build relationships with butchers and people in the retail sector,” he said.
“Our livestock production and processing is based on minimal stress and minimal turn around from the paddock to the chiller to reduce stress and maximise eating quality.”
Elliott Agribusiness processes 80 per cent home bred stock and obtains small numbers of cattle and lambs from local producers.
The plant currently processes between 25 and 35 head of cattle and between 180 and 220 small stock each week, with the majority of meat products selling into south east Queensland.
Mr Elliott said offering private processing to producers was a valuable service considering the lack of private facilities in Queensland.
“Small meat processing plants require a very specialised, highly skilled labour force and big demand from the resource sector made for tough times,” he said.
“Bureaucracy isn’t decreasing either so little facilities like ours have been going out of business for the last 20 or 30 years and once they go it’s either buy meat from the butcher, go vegetarian or do home kills.
“Once every town had a meat processing plant in one way or another whereas now there’s two between here and Toowoomba.”
Mr Elliott said while his plant only serviced the domestic market it still faced the same environmental certification and food accreditation standards as export plants.
“We’re still significantly influenced by what happens on the export market- beef is an export commodity and if America sneezes we get a cold,” he said.
Mr Elliott said he and Jane enjoyed producing a high quality product but it was not without its own set of headaches.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, if you want to expand and diversify it creates another set of potential issues to deal with,” he said.
“The reward far outweighs the challenges though and having control from both production and processing angles gives us a very good grounding in what’s important to customers.”
Mr Elliott said he introduced goats to his livestock breeding and finishing program where a rotational grazing system addressed small stock supply shortages.
“The production side is equally as important as the processing side. You can produce a high quality animal and it can be ruined as soon as it becomes uncomfortable coming out of its paddock,” he said.
“We don’t look at ourselves as beef and lamb producers with a processing plant, it’s all one package now.”
“Primary producers offering top quality, healthy food have been underrated for many years and it’s only since the world started getting hungry that food has been held in such high esteem- we enjoy being involved in the full spectrum.”
