Ag Minister cuts to the chase

Queensland Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne, left, with John Dee CEO Warren Stiff today.

By Jeremy Sollars

State Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne is spending today touring the John Dee export beef abattoir in Warwick and their feedlot near Inglewood.
Mr Byrne told the Free Times he is endeavouring to visit every meat processing facility in Queensland and speak to operators “on the ground” to find out what is happening in the industry.
He said the Queensland Government is focussed on “on-shore value adding of the state’s meat enterprises” and recognised the importance of attracting and keeping a “fit and motivated workforce”.
John Dee is awaiting outcomes on Federal and State funding applications to further expand its Warwick processing plant.
The company has 630 employees – across its feedlot and processing operations – and wants to bring in another 150 as it continues to expand.
John Dee processes around 2500 head of cattle every week, predominantly long-grainfed Wagyu and Angus.
The minister’s Warwick visit follows the announcement last week that Geoff and Rebecca Willett’s Maydan Feedlot at Bony Mountain near Warwick has been purchased by Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd.
Hancock’s 2GR branded fullblood Wagyu cattle from New South Wales are already grain-finished at Maydan, which has an 8000 SCU (Standard Cattle Unit) capacity.