Posted by rehctub, Sunday, 14 February 2010 7:04:30 AM

" ... A whole Lamb ... "

Ok! Cheers mate.
How about we compile this then based on how it is right now?
Someone may choose say to pick a drought effected area, or otherwise an area with which they are familiar.

A. Farmer:

i. Cost to produce per kilo - ?

iii. Sale price per kilo - $4:50
iv. Gross Profit per kilo - ?

*NOTES* Varies with season

B. Transport to Abattoir:

i. Cost per kilo - $0.10

iv. Gross Profit per kilo- ?

*NOTES* That would be within a fixed range I would assume?

C. Abattoir:

i. Cost per kilo - $4.60
ii. Transport to retailer - $0.10
iii. Sale price per kilo - $6:20
iv. Gross Profit per kilo - $1.50

*NOTES* numerous variables - hide prices ..

D. Retailer:

i. Cost per kilo - $6:20
ii. Sale price per kilo - $8:50 - $12:50
iii. Gross Profit per kilo - $2:30 - $6:30

DreamOn
Just a few points that most people are unaware of.

Once the animal leaves the farm gate, there are many costs before the butcher receives the carcase.

e.g; Agent fees, gov taxes, fuel levies, livestock handing fees at the abb, kill fee, gov charge again, QA personel fees, chiller storage fees, load out fees, cartage fee.

They all add up.

I remember back in the late 80's when sheep were selling for less than one dollar each. Yet, they still cost me around $15.00 landed at my shop. All on-costs have skyrocketed since the 80's.

People see farmers getting $70 for a Lamb and wonder why butchers have to sell just one leg for $25.00. Because the $70 lamb costs me $140.00 to buy. That's before I pay rent or wages to have it butchered.

pelican,

What would really gall the people affected by meatworks closures is the federal governments plans to allow the importation of meat from countries with BSE (Mad Cow Disease).

http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2010/02/06/mad-cow-meat-fears-beef-beef-farmers-rail-against-/

From the article cited above, "Yesterday the Australian Beef Association told the inquiry beef imports would ‘put 300,000 out of work in a week’."

Maybe the States would be better off seceding and let the federal government run the ACT with its mobs of highly valued roos.

Clearly there is dissatisfaction in certain areas of the electorate. Here we are currently considering the issues raised by:

RehcTub* & *CornFlower*

What can be done in my view is if we map out the financial aspects of the issue, then we can identify which issues can be remedied by politicians and thereafter, which politicians represent these interests and which do not, both historically, currently and into the future.

To add a bit of ethanol to the fire, I would remind people that, and assuming my memory serves me well, and to follow on from *CornFlower* that one of the first things the liberal party did under j.howard back in the 90's was to trash the pig industry with cheap imports of dubious quality.

In any event, this place does appear to be haunted by the politically active so strongly voiced political views with weight may resonate in relevant areas.

Our ongoing thanks to *RehcTub* for sharing his insight into the meat industry. I'll try and recompile ..

(BANG - just got a mozzie in real time- my drains might be due for some more pemethrin soon - we are plagued by them here - Thank !%#! no one has caught dengue.)

.. the statement with the updated information.

Then we can, if people like, consider the contentious guvment instigated charges & regulations

(and I recall the diesel fuel levie and prohibition on self produced distillate have been raised as objections)

with the backdrop of what the relevant Acts & Regs are, who made them and who on a specific level voted for them.

It is a shame the software used to run this place is so rudimentary. Back in 2000 I was in one forum where you could post pics, sounds, vid, have a mates list, screen out the people you weren't interested in hearing from and run up a variety of different on line polls.

Oh, as people are no doubt aware, things are not always made plain in politics, and consequently are not always as they appear.
I note further to "evidence" this a comment made by the:

*Member for Sturt*

Chris Wyne, who elaborated on the process of spin in a recent interview by suggesting if a decent retort is not at hand,
then the fallback position is too and I quote:

"Muddy the Waters."

... GROAN ...

A. FARMER:

i. Cost to produce per kilo - ?

iii. Sale price per kilo - $4:50
iv. Gross Profit per kilo - ?

*NOTES* Varies with season

B. TRANSPORT TO ABATTOIR:

i. Cost per kilo - $0.10

iv. Gross Profit per kilo- ?

*NOTES* That would be within a fixed range I would assume?

C. ABATTOIR:

1. Livestock handing -
2. Kill fee
3. Chiller storage -
4. Q.uality A.ssurance -
5. Gov tax -
6. Load out -
7. Cartage -

i. Total Cost per kilo - $4.60
ii. Transport to retailer - $0.10
iii. Sale price per kilo - $6:20
iv. Gross Profit per kilo - $1.50

*NOTES* Hide prices fluctuate.

D. RETAILER:

i. Cost per kilo - $6:20

iii. Sale price per kilo - $8:50 - $12:50
iv Gross Profit per kilo - $2:30 - $6:30

Agent fees: Where exactly do agents come into the picture?

Gov taxes: Which ones?

..

re Fuel levies:
Q1. Is brewing your own BioFuel a potential solution?
Q2. Is it sustainable in terms of food security for farmers to brew their own?
Q3. If sustainable, will there be a knock on price increase in grains?

RE THE MEAT INDUSTRY:
!Q4!

What about butchering by new migrant workers on a minimum wage at the abattoir with internet orders direct from the consumer and their own fleet of cold storage delivery trucks?

Perhaps pensioners and house hubbies and wives could tool up with a "Green Saver" freezer unit and order a bulk meat pack per month.

Retirement Villages in particular come to mind.

Coles and Woolworths will be able to buy meat cheap in countries where there are government subsidies for farmers or there is dumping and then flog it off at premium prices in Oz. Doubling the price between (say) the US and Oz makes for a tidy profit.

Some 'free trade agreement' the federal government has thrashed out with Uncle Sam, US farmers get subsidies and Oz farmers do not.

Unlike every other country world-wide, Australia is placing no value on its clean record as a meat supplier. Again to quote the Australian Beef Association from the same article (see my post above):

'"Australia has made much of being free of diseases like BSE, FMD, Blue Tongue and Scrape and has gone further to promote its clean image with the introduction of the costly National Livestock Identification Scheme.

“By allowing in beef from BSE-affected countries we are relinquishing this much-touted selling advantage,” the association said.'

Of course the federal government has worked out (with the help of the US State Department no doubt) that there is only a slight chance of Mad Cow disease being introduced through meat imports, but why take the risk at all just to increase the profits of global corporations?