Updated 28 March 

WESTERN Australian processor Harvey Beef has partnered with the Kimberley and Pilbara Cattlemens Association in launching a new Rangelands beef brand this week, carrying a strong animal welfare component as part of its brand messaging.

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The new Rangelands product, drawn from cattle from the state’s extensive northern grazing industry, provides consumers with access to free range beef backed by accredited animal welfare standards.

While a number of Australian beef brands include animal welfare claims, few, if any, are as overt or as prominent as those pitched in the new Rangelands program.

The product, in the initial stage at least, will be in value-added retail-ready form, rather than carton meat. The range will include beef mince, sausages and burger patties, but not steak or whole-muscle cuts. Retail will be the main target in the early stages, but food service opportunities may also be explored.

“The beef will be sourced from cattle grown in the vast, open ranges of the Kimberley and Pilbara, where cattle roam as nature intended and feast on the abundance of natural grasses,” brand support messaging released this week says.

The Kimberley and Pilbara Cattlemens Association developed specific animal welfare criteria* which pastoralists must adhere to, and which will include a third-party audit program.

“These criteria will give customers confidence in buying a product which not only tastes outstanding, but which has been sustainably raised,” a statement issued during the brand launch said.

The new Rangelands product will carry a number of key features designed to appeal to modern consumers:

• KPCA approved & Monitored animal welfare standards
• Free Range (no confinement)
• No added hormones
• Antibiotic free
• Raised on the natural grasses of the Western Australian rangelands

Head of Investment for Harvey beef’s parent company, Minderoo, John Hartman, said the company knew that customers are concerned about where their food comes from.

“Through this partnership with the Kimberley and Pilbara Cattlemens Association, we can now offer a range which guarantees an exceptional standard of animal welfare,” Mr Hartman said.

The Rangelands brand will leverage off the Kimberley/Pilbara’s wide open spaces and clean environment

Harvey Beef’s head of livestock, Kim McDougall, said cattle producers in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions worked across some of the largest cattle operations in Australia.

“Rangelands supports their hard work and dedication and allows us to build mutually beneficial partnerships,” he said.

Production volumes are yet to be finalised, but the plan is to grow the brand over time.

Chief executive of the KPCA, Catherine Marriott, said the partnership with Harvey Beef would bring a quality product to dinner tables throughout Western Australia, from the Kimberley and Pilbara regions.

“Our dedication to higher animal welfare standards matches Harvey Beef’s passion for the best quality beef and together we can continue to ensure Western Australia is able to consume ethically-produced beef,” Ms Marriott said.

Harvey Beef was established in 1919 and is now owned by Twiggy Forrest’s Minderoo Beef – itself a sixth generation farming family. Processing takes place at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Harvey, about 140km south of Perth, which employs more than 400 staff.

Launch at annual conference

KPCA chief executive Catherine Marriott told Beef Central yesterday afternoon that the Rangelands Beef range was launched at association’s annual conference last week.

“The launch was designed to engage with the wider industry, let the producers know what we have been working on, get them excited and on board with a supply chain that is new, innovative and promotes the great practices we have in our region,” she said.

“The response has been overwhelming. We are still finalising the details of the audit process and are currently working hard to get these ready.  It’s such an exciting story and a wonderful opportunity for producers and consumers in WA.”

Ms Marriott said the association had a fantastic field day and conference last week, perhaps the biggest event to have ever happened in the Kimberley and Pilbara region’s beef industry. In addition to launching the new brand, members raised $27,900 for the RFDS at a charity auction.

Beef Central will publish details on the Rangelands brand’s animal welfare requirements and audit protocols when they are completed.