A RARE opportunity to purchase an operating multi-species abattoir and domestic wholesale meat business has arisen, following a decision by the Gillece family to sell their Stanthorpe Abattoir business in southern Queensland.
There has been no significant meat processing business put to market in Queensland since an attempt to sell the mothballed Churchill abattoir complex near Ipswich in 2021.
Stanthorpe is a much smaller business than Churchill, built mostly around the provision of service kill for a Sydney and Brisbane meat wholesaler clientele, plus internal kills for the Gillece family’s own meat wholesale business.
Apart from periods of short cattle supply due to herd rebuilding, service kills have proven difficult to find in the Queensland market for some years, as outlined in this earlier article on Beef Central.
The Stanthorpe facility is also rare (in Queensland, at least) for another reason – being a multi-species plant, capable of processing beef and veal, plus lamb, goatmeat and pork under a domestic SafeFood Queensland license. The facility also provides Halal kills as required to service the Muslim community markets with goatmeat and lamb in Sydney, Brisbane and elsewhere.
Service kills currently account for around 100-120 pork, 150-200 goats, 50-100 lambs and 30-50 beef and veal calves per week, with plenty of spare capacity for future expansion. At different times the plant has killed up to 70 beef a day, plus 250 lambs, depending on manning levels. Boning room services are also provided as required. The business also produces rendered products such as tallow, meat and bone meal.
The site is connected to potable town water, keeping water treatment costs down.
Current owners the Gillece family have owned the business since 2008, bringing the facility out of mothballs last year to recommence beef, pork, goat and sheepmeat kills. The only reason the business is being sold is for genuine family succession.
The site includes a killfloor and boning room, chillers, cattle receival area and associated infrastructure. Output is distributed as whole carcases, sides and quarters, cartons of boned meat and edible by-products such as offals. The business currently employs around ten staff.
The 36ha site is logistically convenient, being close to major saleyards and a concentrated feedlot industry on the southern Darling Downs.
The business would suit an integrated domestic beef brand program developer, or operator looking to fill the enormous gap in domestic service kill provision in Queensland.
Expressions of interest in the plant close on 14 February. Contact the owner direct – Matt Gillece 0438 123 437.
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