Allegations of animal welfare issues and financial mismanagement have plagued the Kimberley Meat Company for nearly a decade. Now it has shut down owing $103 million.
The cattle that move through the Kimberley's well-worn dirt arteries represent millions of dollars and every animal counts.With those, come secrets.He knows the challenges of the industry intimately.
It was a trusted employer for some of the region’s most disadvantaged communities and, for local cattle stations, a godsend. At a time when the industry was still recovering from the short-lived 2011 live export ban, the opening of the abattoir was an important step towards economic resilience."The pastoral industry in northern Western Australia has got a long history. It's been an economic driver over a number of years," Mr Stoate says.
Scrub bulls are wild animals and are not used to being in the confined spaces of domestic cattle yards for a period of days, let alone months. While the animal welfare issues were kept under wraps by tight non-disclosure agreements, the money eventually began to talk.With $103 million owing from the Kimberley region's coffers, everyone from local tradespeople, stations and contract musterers were left out of pocket.Queensland-based lawyer Dan Creevey acted for one small family-run business that is yet to be paid millions.
"We … do not believe the provisions under safe harbour would be a defence available to its directors."A spokesperson for the WA Minister for Agriculture Jackie Jarvis, and for the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, declined to answer the ABC's questions, both saying it was a matter for administrators.For pastoralists like Mr Stoate, the abattoir has left its mark on the Kimberley industry.
Kimberley Cattle Industry Yeeda Pastoral Company Kimberley Meat Company David Stoate Bron Christensen Dave Morrell Dan Creevey Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemens Association Live Export
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Farm-to-plate producers without meat processor as Dardanup Butchering Company halts slaughtering serviceOne of Western Australia's largest butchers tells farmers it will no longer process their meat, effectively freezing some out of the state's farm-to-plate market.
Read more »
Tourists caught out by record temperatures across the KimberleyVisitors hoping to enjoy a little winter sunshine in northern WA instead swelter through unseasonal heat, as tour operators seek workarounds to keep them cool and safe.
Read more »
How the failed Voice referendum 'galvanised' Kimberley's First Nations leadersKimberley youth Tremane Baxter-Edwards hopes to one day be Australia's first Indigenous prime minister.
Read more »
'Everyone in the Kimberley knows someone who is impacted by kidney disease'More than one thousand delegates have gathered in Perth for the largest rural health conference of its kind in the southern hemisphere. A key highlight of the three-day event was addressing the unique challenges faced by Indigenous communities in some of Australia's most remote locations.
Read more »
Police search Kimberley track for Zachary Chapman, missing during fundraising walkZachary Chapman, 29, was last seen on Sunday. Police say he's left his trolley and water behind and they're worried he's suffering from heat exhaustion.
Read more »
Fewer than half of students in WA's Kimberley attend secondary schoolEducation department data for 14 secondary schools in the Kimberley shows just 41 per cent of public high school students are regularly attending, and at some schools in remote communities it's below 10 per cent.
Read more »