AUSTRALIA’S largest organic meat supply chain, Arcadian Organic & Natural Meat Co, has moved its service kill requirements to NH Foods Australia’s Oakey Beef and Borthwicks Mackay plants in Queensland.
The service kill was previously carried out at the Stanbroke Beef plant at Grantham, where it occupied up to a day and a half’s kill each week.
The first organic cattle were processed for Arcadian at NH Foods’ Oakey Beef Exports plant earlier today.
Arcadian founder and CEO Alister Ferguson said the business had partnered with NH Foods for all of its beef processing requirements.
“NH Foods is an excellent match for us, and I believe it’s a real win for both organisations,” Mr Ferguson said.
“We aim to produce the best organic beef possible and NH Foods operates world-class processing plants. They meet the most demanding certification standards required by Arcadian and its international and customers,” he said.
Arcadian’s supply chain relies on processing Certified Organic cattle every week. More than 75 percent of production goes to export markets – primarily to the US, but also to eight other overseas destinations.
One of Arcadian’s brands, Cleaver’s (pictured below), is the most successful organic meat brand in Australia. Cleaver’s is available in more than 900 major supermarkets and independent stores.
A big part of the change in processing arrangements is that Arcadian will now be processing organic cattle at two locations, Oakey Beef in southern Queensland and Thomas Borthwick & Sons near Mackay, in Central Queensland.
“Having two locations for processing organic cattle is a great thing for Arcadian, but it’s especially valuable for our producer suppliers,” Mr Ferguson said.
Because of the diverse geographic spread of Arcadian’s dedicated livestock suppliers – as well as the fact that some are located in ticky country and some in clean country – the option to consign Certified Organic cattle to either plant will hold appeal to producer partners.
“This change means much better plant access for our producer partners since some of them are located closer to the Mackay facility than Oakey. The result is more flexibility for our farmers – and that has to be good. It also means we have redundancy in our processing system, so any unforeseen emergencies, such as plant stoppages, can be handled more smoothly.”
The move is also a feather in the cap of NH foods and proof that their facilities and service are right on the mark. NH Foods was able to meet all of the demanding market access requirements that were essential for Arcadian to make the move. This included Australian and USDA Organic certification as well as customer-specific certifications required by Arcadian’s high-end domestic and export clients.
“We strive to operate state of the art beef processing facilities and it’s a testament to our efforts that the country’s leading organic meat business is now partnered with us,” general manager of Borthwicks and Oakey Beef Exports, Pat Gleeson said.
About Arcadian Organic & Natural Meat Co:
Arcadian Organic & Natural Meat Co is Australia’s largest supplier of Certified Organic and natural meat.
From one farm producing just 66 head of cattle a fortnight in 2005, the business has grown to include a supply network of more than 120 dedicated Certified Organic producers and 60 employees.
One of Arcadian’s brands, Cleaver’s, is the most successful organic meat brand in Australia. Cleaver’s is available in more than 900 major supermarkets and independent stores.
The company is built on childhood friendships – mates who grew up on third, fourth and fifth generation farming land. “They care about families, family values and the wellbeing of future generations,” the company website says. “They also care about premium quality certified organic & natural meat.”
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Good to see Alister Ferguson achieving as he has in the Organic beef supply chain.
Well done My memories of your ambitions when with Sanger.
John Cooper