Harmony Agriculture and Food Company, the owner of the Dundonnell-district property, Mount Fyans, has expanded its footprint on Western Victoria, taking over the operating control of a major feedlot facility near Dimboola.
Previously known as the Gerang Gerung Feedlot, the property is now renamed after its location, Dimboola, and its acquisition by Harmony signifies the next step in the company’s path to a stronger value chain for international markets.
The troubled Gerang Gerung Feedlot and quarantine facility, located on prime west Wimmera cropping country, became embroiled in the 2015 lock-up of a failed export dairy heifer consignment to China.
WA exporter, Carpenter International had declared voluntary administration after its Chinese importer sought to downgrade the price of its contracted consignment.
Now that Harmony has acquired the feedlot asset, the company said it will be working to improve infrastructure, stocking capacity and the reliability of cattle performance for their own business, and potentially as a service to external customers.
“As in all Harmony facilities, infrastructure and systems will focus on animal welfare, food safety, traceability and performance management,” the company has stated.
Victoria and the east coast will account for about 70 per cent of Harmony's supply and livestock production, with its Mount Fyans aggregation near Mortlake serving as a major grazing and backgrounding property.
The company already sends a majority of its cattle for feeding to third-party feedlots, and will require significantly more capacity to accommodate the growth in numbers, with the acquisition of Dimboola as the next step in that process.
Harmony executive director Richard Pearce said it was part of the broader infrastructure improvements the company is making to “strengthen our value chain for international markets”.
But Mr Pearce said the acquisition was not a move to eventually remove the need to work with third parties “but simply about coping with the growth they have in their existing business”.